Jan 6th Coup?

In today's Farm episode, returning guest James Scaminaci III makes his case for the events of January 6th being a full-blown coup attempt orchestrated by the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. Over the course of this interview we cover the background of the Oath Keepers; the command & control structure used by both groups that day; their battle plan; and most importantly, explain what the objective was. From there, we get into whether the security was adequate. the strange series of events involving General Charles Flynn (the brother of Michael) on the 6th, and a general account of the military's behavior that day. 

James has also graciously allowed me to republish the diagrams he's drawn up to explain the strategy of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys as well as his written responses to my questions. Note: This is not an actual transcript of the interview, but notes Scaminaci made for the interview. I thought reposting them would provide further insight. As always, I hope you guys enjoy. 

 

Questions

Okay, to start off with, let's talk some Oath Keepers for a moment. John Brisson and I did a show on the Proud Boys last year, so my listeners have some degree of familiarity with them. We haven't touched on the Oath Keepers yet, though I expect a full length expose' is in the near future. For now though, could you give us a quick rundown of the organization's history?

THE OATH KEEPERS ARE A PRODUCT OF A “SECRET” RON PAUL AND GARY NORTH STRATEGY DEVELOPED IN 2008 THAT INCLUDED STARTING A VERSION OF THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT. RHODES WAS PART OF THE RON PAUL PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND HE IS THE FOUNDER OF OATH KEEPERS. I EXPLAINED IN A PAPER THAT EARLY ON RHODES HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN SETTING UP WITH RICHARD MACK WHAT BECAME THE CONSTITUTIONAL SHERIFFS AND PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCATION OR CSPOA.

WHAT MAKES THE OATH KEEPERS UNIQUE IS THAT THEY OPENLY RECRUIT ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND POLICE, AS WELL AS VETERANS AND RETIRED MILITARY AND POLICE. THEIR OBJECTIVE IS TO PRODUCE A FIFTH COLUMN OF CHAOS AGENTS WITHIN THE MILITARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEY WANT TO USE ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND POLICE TO BREACH THE OPERATIONAL SECURITY OF THEIR UNITS.

ALL THE OATH KEEPERS TEN ORDERS THEY WILL NOT OBEY ARE ABOUT HELPING A STATE TO SECEDE FROM THE UNION. THEY ARE NOT ABOUT THE NEW WORLD ORDER. THOSE TEN ORDERS MAY COME WRAPPED AROUND OR WITHIN THE NEW WORLD ORDER CONSPIRACY THEORY, BUT THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THOSE TEN ORDERS.

ONE WOULD HOPE THAT EVENTUALLY PEOPLE WHO REPORT ON THE OATH KEEPERS WILL FIGURE THIS BASIC FACT OUT.

THEY PROMOTE THE IMAGE THAT THEY ARE REMAINING FAITHFUL TO THEIR OATHS, THAT THEY ARE WALKING HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE FOUNDING FATHERS, AND THAT THEY ARE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE IN GUARDING THE REPUBLIC. IT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.

THEY ARE A FOURTH GENERATION WARFARE ELEMENT WITHIN THE PATRIOT SPHERE TIED TO THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND DESIGNED TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE MILITARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND CERTAINLY JEOPARDIZE THEIR OPERATIONAL SECURITY.

While both organizations are militant, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers clearly have different approaches to combat. Can you briefly address the difference in tactics? 

THE PROUD BOYS ARE STREET FIGHTERS. THEY ARE THE ONES IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH ANTIFA IN STREET BATTLES. THEY ARE THE RIGHT-WING’S HEAVY INFANTRY. THEY HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE “FIGHTING ARM” OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. IF YOU ARE A RIGHT-WINGER AND WANTING TO PUT FIST-TO-CHIN, THEN THE PROUD BOYS WOULD BE THE GROUP TO JOIN.

STEWART RHODES PUT THE OATH KEEPERS INTO AN OPERATIONAL STRAIT JACKET. THEY HAVE TO BE SEEN, AT LEAST UP UNTIL JANUARY 6, 2021, AS UPHOLDING THEIR OATHS TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION. THEY CAN PROVIDE SECURITY AT PROUD BOYS STREET BRAWLS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT PERCEIVE THE PROUD BOYS AS WHITE NATIONALIST OR WHITE SUPREMACIST OR AS NEO-NAZIS.

THE OATH KEEPERS GO TO THESE STREET PROTESTS, WHETHER THEY ERUPT IN FIGHTS OR NOT, TO PROVIDE “SECURITY” FOR BOTH SIDES. TO “PROTECT FREE SPEECH.” RHODES WANTS TO PRETEND THAT THE OATH KEEPERS ARE NEUTRAL PROTECTORS. THEY GO ARMED WITH LONG BARREL WEAPONS THAT, IF THEY USED, THEY WOULD BE ARRESTED FOR MURDER OR MANSLAUGHTER.

SO, THEY LOOK TOUGH IN THEIR TACTICAL OUTFITS AND LONG BARREL WEAPONS. THEY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING BY BEING PRESENT. BUT THEY ARE LARGELY BYSTANDERS. IN TERMS OF A STREET FIGHT, THE OATH KEEPERS ARE ESSENTIALLY USELESS.

AND BECAUSE OF THESE DIFFERENCES IN FIGHTING CULTURE AND TACTICS, THE OATH KEEPERS NEED THE PROUD BOYS ON JANUARY 6. AND I THINK THE PROUD BOYS NEED THE OATH KEEPERS ON JANUARY 6.

Let's go over the command and control structures used by the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers during the Capitol riots. We'll start with the Proud Boys. What kind of communications were they using, where was the command center, and so forth?

PROUD BOYS USED SEVERAL COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS, THOUGH THE FBI HAS RELIED PRIMARILY, ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON THE TWO TELEGRAM CHANNELS: “NEW MOSD” AND “BOOTS ON THE GROUND.” THE FBI DISCLOSED TO NORDEAN’S DEFENSE THAT THEY EXTRACTED OVER 200,000 PDF PAGES OF TELEGRAM MESSAGES. SO, WHAT IS IN THE PUBLIC RECORD IS AN EXTREMELY SMALL FRACTION OF THOSE MESSAGES.

THE “NEW MOSD” CHANNEL HAD LESS THAN 10 PARTICIPANTS. “NEW MOSD” WAS RESERVED FOR THE LEADERSHIP. THE “BOOTS ON THE GROUND” HAD AT LEAST 60 PARTICIPANTS. THE PROUD BOYS ALSO DISTRIBUTED SOME BAOFENG RADIOS. THEY ALSO USED THE ZELLO APPLICATION, BUT WE DO NOT KNOW WHICH CHANNEL THEY USED, IF THEY DID.

OATH KEEPERS ALSO USED THE ZELLO APPLICATION, BUT THAT WAS FOR DECEPTION BROADCASTS, NOT OPERATIONAL BROADCASTS.

THE FBI DISCLOSED THAT AT LEAST TWO PROUD BOYS—UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR-1 AND PERSON-2 WERE AT AN UNSPECIFIED LOCATION MONITORING ALL PROUD BOYS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS.

How about the Oath Keepers?

THE OATH KEEPERS KEPT THEIR QUICK REACTION FORCE AT THE COMFORT INN BALLSTON IN ARLINGTON, VA.

THE ACTUAL LOCATION OF THEIR TACTICAL OPERATIONS CENTER IS NOT KNOWN.

DURING THE ATTACK, THE OATH KEEPERS USED A SIGNAL CHANNEL: “DC OP JAN 6 21.” THEY APPARENTLY USED THIS SIGNAL CHANNEL BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE JANUARY 6 ATTACK.

THEY ALSO USED THE “GO TO MEETING” APPLICATION TO DO PRE-ATTACK COORDINATION AMONG VARIOUS OATH KEEPERS LEADERS IN FLORIDA AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.

Now, you think both outfits had their command and control centers near one another, correct? 

IT IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT THEY HAD TWO DIFFERENT, NOT CO-LOCATED TACTICAL OPERATIONS CENTERS. BUT I THINK THE PHONE CALLS THAT PERSON TEN MADE TO JOSHUA JAMES SUGGEST THAT HE WAS GETTING INFORMATION FROM THE PROUD BOYS IN NEAR REAL-TIME, SUGGESTING TO ME THAT PERSON TEN WAS EITHER INSIDE THE PROUD BOYS TACTICAL OPERATIONS CENTER OR HE WAS A SILENT PARTICIPANT ON THEIR “NEW MOSD” SIGNAL CHANNEL.

FOR EXAMPLE, AT 1414H JOSHUA JAMES SAYS ON THE OATH KEEPERS SIGNAL CHANNEL: “THEY HAVE TAKEN GROUND AT THE CAPITOL.” THAT COMES ABOUT ONE MINUTE AFTER HE HAD RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM PERSON TEN. WE KNOW THAT THE PROUD BOYS WERE IN THE CAPITOL BUILDING BY 1414H.

DOMINIC PEZZOLA BEGINS SMASHING THE WINDOWS IN THE NORTHWEST COURTYARD AROUND 1412H. JUST BEHIND HIM IS PROUD BOY LEADER JOSEPH BIGGS WHO USES THE “NEW MOSD” CHANNEL. BIGGS IS APPARENTLY DIRECTING THE TRANSIENT 2 ATTACK. BY 1413H PEZZOLA IS THROUGH THE WINDOW SO IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO THE PROUD BOYS LEADERS ON THE “NEW MOSD” CHANNEL THAT THE BREACH WAS IMMINENT AND THE MAGA RIOTERS WITH THEM WERE ABOUT TO ENTER THE BUILDING. BIGGS WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR AT ABOUT 1414H.

THUS IT IS REALLY CURIOUS THAT AT 1414H JOSHUA JAMES IS COMMUNICATING WITH ALL THE OTHER OATH KEEPERS ON THEIR SIGNAL CHANNEL, “THEY HAVE TAKEN GROUND AT THE CAPITOL” AND THAT IT IS TIME TO GET THE VIP SECURITY DETAIL READY TO GO.

You believe the Oath Keepers even had their ground commander in the Proud Boy's Tactical Operations Command, correct?

I DO.

Okay, so take us through the Proud Boys' recon efforts at the onset of the protests on January 6th.

AT 1000H, ALL THE PROUD BOYS MEET AT THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT FOR A SHORT BRIEFING. CHARLES DONOHOE, ONE OF THE TOP PROUD BOYS LEADERS, IS AT THE MONUMENT MAYBE 90 MINUTES BEFOREHAND WITH ABOUT 15 OTHER PROUD BOYS.

SHORTLY AFTER 1000H, ALL THE PROUD BOYS LEAVE THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT AND BEGIN WALKING TOWARDS THE CAPITOL BUILDING.

ON FIGURE 15, YOU SEE THEY REACH UNION SQUARE AT 1113H. BY THE WAY, THESE TIMES ARE TAKEN FROM THE EDDIE BLOCK VIDEOS THAT INSURGENT HUNTER POSTED AT THE JANUARY 6 EVIDENCE WEBSITE. I USED THE START AND STOP OF THE SEGMENTS AS THE APPROXIMATION OF TIME.

THEY THEN MARCH WITH A VERY LARGE CROWD, MAYBE 200 PEOPLE, MAYBE A BIT MORE OR A BIT LESS TO THE PEACE MONUMENT ON THE PENNSYLVANIA WALKWAY. THAT IS THE LOCATION OF TRANSIENT 1. THEY WILL RETURN TO THIS VERY LOCATION AT 1253H TO LAUNCH THE ATTACK AGAINST THE USCP POLICE AND CAPITOL BUILDING. FACING THE CAPITOL BUILDING FROM THE PEACE MONUMENT TO THEIR LEFT IS THE NORTHWEST STAIRS. THAT IS TRANSIENT 2. SO, ON THIS PART OF THE MARCH THEY CAN SEE AT LEAST TRANSIENT 1 AND HAVE AN IDEA WHERE TRANSIENT 2 IS.

THEY THEN WALK DOWN CONSTITUTION AVENUE, TURN RIGHT, WALK ON THE LAWN AND ARRIVE CLOSE TO THE EAST PLAZA CENTER STEPS WHICH LEAD TO THE COLUMBUS DOORS. THAT IS TRANSIENT 3. THEY THEN POSE FOR AN ICONIC PHOTO TAKEN BY JON CHERRY OF GETTY IMAGES.

THEY RETURN TO CONSTITUTION AVENUE AND EAT AT THE FOOD TRUCKS. THEY KEEP GOING BACK TOWARD THE PEACE MONUMENT AND AT 1253H START THE ATTACK AND AT 1255H INCITE THE CROWD TO ATTACK THE USCP AT THE SECOND POLICE BARRIER.

The Oath Keepers allegedly did no recon of their own, which struck you as quite strange. Can you get into that?

THE OATH KEEPERS DO NO RECONNAISSANCE. THEY KEEP TO THEIR COVER STORY THAT THEY WERE THERE TO PROVIDE SECURITY FOR VIPS. SO, THEY SIT IN THE VIP SECTION AND LISTEN TO ONE SPEECH AFTER ANOTHER. AT EXACTLY 1253H, ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES, AN UNIDENTIFIED OATH KEEPER THE FBI CALLS #228, LEADS THE OATH KEEPERS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF TRUMP’S SPEECH. THEY MARCH DOWN CONSTITUTION AVENUE AND WAIT ON THE LAWN OR THE TARMAC ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE CAPITOL. AND THEY WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. NUMBER #228 AT 1400H IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CENTRAL EAST STEPS WITH KEN HARRELSON. THOSE TWO WILL EVENTUALLY GUIDE “THE STACK” LED BY KELLY MEGGS UP THE STAIRS TO AND THROUGH THE COLUMBUS DOORS ON TRANSIENT 3.

AND I ARGUE IN THE PAPER THAT THIS BIZARRE BEHAVIOR—SIMPLY SITTING AROUND WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN—MAKES NO SENSE UNLESS THEY HAD PRE-PLANNED AND PRE-COORDINATED WITH THE PROUD BOYS.

Now, you've argued that the Proud Boys were behind the initial assault on the capital that resulted in the breach. Can you take us through how they managed this?

THEY INCITE THE CROWD, SPECIFICALLY THERE IS A RYAN SAMSEL WHO IS INDICTED FOR MAKING THE FIRST BREACH PAST THE PLASTIC FENCING TO THE SECOND BARRIER OF BIKE RACKS WHERE HE ALLEGEDLY KNOCKS A USCP INTO A CONCUSSION. THAT IS AT 1255H. THE CROWD THEN SURGES UP TO THE THIRD BARRIER OF BIKE RACKS WHERE WILLIAM PEPE AND ANOTHER PROUD BOY DISMANTLE THOSE RACKS. AND THEN THE CROWD COMES FACE-TO-FACE TO WITH THE FIRST LINE US CAPITOL POLICE AT THE LOWER WEST PLAZA STEPS. RYAN SAMSEL RE-APPEARS TO ENRAGE THE CROWD. PROUD BOYS LEADERS AND MEMBERS ARE IN THE CLOSE VICINITY TO A NUMBER OF FIGHTS INVOLVING A GUY NAMED CHRISTOPHER QUAGLIN. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER HE IS BEING INCITED BY THE PROUD BOYS OR HE IS COORDINATING WITH THEM. IT CERTAINLY APPEARS TO BE COORDINATED FIGHTING.

FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO, THERE IS A LOT OF YELLING AT THE POLICE. SOME SKIRMISHES. SOME ESCALATION IN THE FIGHTING. AND FINALLY THE PROUD BOYS SLIDE FROM THAT CONFRONTATION TO THE NORTHWEST STAIRS AND BREACH THE POLICE LINES ON THE WAY TO THE NORTHWEST COURTYARD AND THE BREACH ON THE SENATE SIDE OF THE BUILDING.

The Oath Keepers do not appear to have been present when the assault began. Rather, they were observing Trump's speech at the Ellipse. They appear to have begun to depart once word of the capital assault reached them. From there, they headed towards the rioting in what you describe as a "stack" formation. What is that?

A STACK FORMATION IS A MILITARY OR POLICE FORMATION WHERE THE PERSONNEL ARE LINED UP DIRECTLY BEHIND EACH OTHER. IT IS USED TO TRAVERSE WALLS OR TO ENTER ROOMS. SINCE THE SOLDIERS ARE ARMED, THEY MAY HAVE THEIR WEAPONS CLOSE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM. FOR THE OATH KEEPERS, IT MADE SENSE TO USE THAT FORMATION TO SNAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE CROWD ON THE EAST CENTRAL PLAZA STEPS SO THAT THEY KEPT TOGETHER AND DID NOT LOSE ANYONE GOING UP THE STAIRS.

Now, these Oath Keepers were effectively a full-blown paramilitary force and kitted accordingly. What was their role?

APPARENTLY, SINCE THEIR IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE WAS TO GET TO THE SENATE CHAMBER, IT APPEARS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ARREST SENATORS. CERTAINLY, THAT COMES ACROSS ON A ZELLO MESSAGE TO WATKINS.

BUT AS TO THEIR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE ONCE THEY ENTERED I THINK IT WAS GENERALLY TO STOP THE CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTORAL COUNT. I DO BELIEVE THEY MAY HAVE INTENDED TO ARREST SOME SENATORS.

You believe the overall battle plan was modeled upon the Battle of Leuctra, which was fought between Thebes and Sparta in 371 BC. Can you give us an overview of that battle first?

IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A SINGLE ENVELOPMENT ATTACK. BUT WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL IS HOW AN OUTNUMBERED FORCE USES THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF POWER TO BEAT A LARGER FORCE. ESSENTIALLY, THEY PRODUCE THEIR STRENGTH AGAINST THEIR OPPONENT’S WEAKNESS TO BREAK THROUGH THE ENEMY AND THEN ATTACK AND DESTROY THE ENEMY FROM THE REAR. WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE PROUD BOYS AND THE OATH KEEPERS ATTEMPTED TO DO.

IN FACT, KELLY MEGGS IN FACEBOOK MESSAGES SENT TO A PRESUMABLY VERY TRUSTED PERSON EXPLAINED A SINGLE-ENVELOPMENT TWO-TRANSIENT ATTACK. IN THAT ATTACK, THE OATH KEEPERS WOULD BE MARCHING BEHIND THE PROUD BOYS, SWING AROUND PAST THE POLICE AND ANTIFA, AND ATTACK ANTIFA FROM THE REAR.

IF YOU SUBSTITUTE CAPITOL BUILDING FOR ANTIFA, IT IS CLEAR WHAT KELLY MEGGS IS DESCRIBING.

So, how did the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys adopt it for the siege of the capital?

How about Steward Rhodes, the head of the Oath Keepers? You believe he was involved in the activities of the Oath Keepers present at the Capitol that day, right?

STEWART RHODES, NOW FAMOUS FOR BEING “PERSON ONE,” WAS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE EVENTS ON JANUARY 6 AND BEFORE JANUARY 6.

THE QUICK REACTION FORCE IN WASHINGTON DC WAS HIS IDEA. HE ADVOCATED FOR A QRF IN DC FOR THE NOVEMBER “STOP THE STEAL” RALLY. THERE WAS PROBABLY A QRF IN DC FOR THE DECEMBER RALLY.

HE APPOINTED “PERSON TEN” TO BE THE OVERALL COMMANDER FOR THE JANUARY 6 ATTACK.

DURING THE ATTACK, HE CALLED FOR AND SENT A PHOTOGRAPH TO THE OATH KEEPERS ON THEIR SIGNAL CHAT TO COME TO THE SOUTHEAST STEPS. IT IS A MOVE WHICH MADE NO TACTICAL SENSE WHATSOEVER. FROM 1359H, WHEN THE CROWD ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE CAPITOL BREACHED THE POLICE BARRIERS, THEY IGNORED BOTH THE NORTHEAST AND THE SOUTHEAST STEPS AND WENT STRAIGHT FOR THE CENTRAL STEPS LEADING TO THE COLUMBUS DOORS AND THEN INTO THE ROTUNDA.

In reading your analysis, I'm left with the impression that the principal purpose of the Proud Boys was to provide a diversion, clearing the way for the more elite Oath Keepers to attack the Capitol at one of its more vulnerable points. Is that what you were NATION THAT THE OATH KEEPERS AND THE PROUD BOYS DEVELOPED A JOINT PLAN Ttrying to convey, and if so, does this indicate that the Oath Keepers were likely the ones directing the Proud Boys? 

I ARGUE IN PART 5 ON PLANNING AND COORDIO ATTACK THE CAPITOL BUILDING.

KELLY MEGGS IN ABOUT 3 FACEBOOK MESSAGES TO PRESUMABLY TRUSTED PERSONS STATED AS FACT THAT HE HAD “ORGANIZED AN ALLIANCE” BETWEEN THE OATH KEEPERS, FLORIDA 3%ERS, AND THE PROUD BOYS. THEY HAD AGREED TO “WORK TOGETHER” TO “SHUT DOWN THIS SHIT.”

HE THEN STATED ON FACEBOOK THAT “WE HAVE ORCHESTRATED A PLAN WITH THE PROUD BOYS.”

IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FILING ON KELLY MEGGS, THE DOJ 4 TIMES USES THE WORD “COORDINATION” TO DESCRIBE WHAT MEGGS AND THE OATH KEEPERS ACCOMPLISHED.

BUT COORDINATION IS NOT THE CORRECT WORD.

ORCHESTRATED DOES NOT MEAN COORDINATED. TO ORCHESTRATE MEANS TO DEVELOP A FINAL PRODUCT, LIKE A MUSICAL SCORE OR COMPOSITION, THAT IS READY TO BE PLAYED. TO ORCHESTRATE IS TO DEVELOP A PLAN A COURSE OF ACTION TO ACCOMPLISH A SPECIFIC TASK.

ORCHESTRATION IS ABOUT A FINAL PRODUCT. AND THAT FINAL PRODUCT IN THIS CASE WAS A JOINT PLAN TO ATTACK THE CAPITOL BUILDING ON JANUARY 6.

AND MEGGS STATED AS A FACT THAT THIS “ORCHESTRATION” WAS DONE IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH ENRIQUE TARRIO, HEAD OF THE PROUD BOYS. THEY REDACTED TARRIO’S NAME, BUT HE IS THE ONLY LEADER OF THE PROUD BOYS.

SO, THE OATH KEEPERS AND PROUD BOYS ARE EQUAL PARTNERS IN THIS ORCHESTRATION OF A PLAN. IT IS A JOINT PLAN THAT WILL BE JOINTLY EXECUTED. THAT IS MY ARGUMENT.

IT IS THE MAGA CROWD THAT IS THE DIVERSION. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE AGITATION OF THE PROUD BOYS ON TRANSIENT 1 ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CAPITOL, THE MAGA CROWD PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN CONTENT TO SCREAM AT THE POLICE AND THINK THAT IS WHAT TRUMP WANTED THEM TO DO.

THE PROUD BOYS AND OATH KEEPERS KNEW WHAT THEY HAD TO DO. THEY HAD TO BREACH THE CAPITOL BUILDING IN ORDER TO “SHUT THIS SHIT DOWN.” YOU COULD ONLY “STOP THE STEAL” FROM INSIDE THE CAPITOL BUILDING.

THE PROUD BOYS I THINK WERE CAREFUL NOT TO ASSAULT THE USCP AND MPD. ONLY WILLIAM CHRESTMAN IS SEEN SPRAYING THE POLICE WITH A CHEMICAL SPRAY. ONLY 3 PROUD BOYS ARE SEEN DESTROYING PROPERTY.

I AM NOT SAYING THAT TO MEAN THAT THE PROUD BOYS WERE BEING POLITE TOWARDS THE POLICE. I AM SAYING THAT THEIR PRIMARY MISSION WAS TO STOP THE CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE. THEIR SECONDARY MSSION WAS TO BREACH THE BUILDING. THEIR TERTIARY MISSION WAS TO INCITE THE CROWD TO A SUSTAINABLE LEVEL OF VIOLENCE.

THERE IS A TELEGRAM CHAT INVOLVING THREE PROUD BOYS LEADERS IN WHICH THEY ARE PLANNING TO INCITE THE MAGA CROWD. ONE LEADER STATES HE WANTS TO SEE “THOUSANDS OF NORMIES BURN THAT CITY TO ASH.” ANOTHER WANTS TO SEE THEM “SMASH SOME PIGS TO DUST.” AND A THIRD CLAIMS, “LET THEM LOOSE” IN RESPONSE TO AN EARLIER CLAIM THAT THE MAGA ARE A “PACK OF WILD DOGS” WITH “NO ADRENALINE CONTROL.”

THUS, ENRAGEMENT OF THE MAGA CROWD WAS ONE MISSION, NOT ASSAULTING THE POLICE THEMSELVES.

THE ONLY ACT OF VIOLENCE BY THE PROUD BOYS THAT MADE TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC SENSE WAS DONE BY PEZZOLA WHEN HE SMASHED OPEN THE WINDOWS AT THE NORTHWEST COURTYARD. PEZZOLA ACHIEVED THE INITIAL BREACH OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING ITSELF.

ONCE THE PROUD BOYS ENTERED THE BUILDING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST COURTYARD’S DOORS THEY MADE TWO TACTICAL MISTAKES THAT TURNED INTO CATASTROPHIC STRATEGIC FAILURES.

ONE, PEZZOLA GOES UP THE STAIRS TOWARDS THE SENATE CHAMBER AND FOLLOWS OFFICER GOODMAN TO OBLIVION. HAD PEZZOLA TURNED RIGHT AND LED THE CROWD INTO THE SENATE CHAMBER, AT 1415H+ THE SENATE FLOOR WOULD HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH MAGA RIOTERS ON LIVE NATIONAL TELEVISION WITH DONALD TRUMP WATCHING. THAT WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC OF THE ATTACK FOR ALL THREE SIDES: THE PROUD BOYS, OATH KEEPERS, AND THE MAGA RIOTERS; THE SECRET SERVICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT; AND FOR DONALD TRUMP.

TWO, FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, JOSEPH BIGGS, WHO WAS APPARENTLY DIRECTING THE TRANSIENT 2 ATTACK, DID NOT IMMEDIATELY HEAD TO ROTUNDA, TURN LEFT, AND FORCE THE COLUMBUS DOORS OPEN WITH OTHER PROUD BOYS. HAD HE DONE THAT IMMEDIATELY, THE OATH KEEPERS ARE INTO THE CAPITOL BUILDING AT ABOUT 1430H IN TIME TO DASH INTO A SENATE CHAMBER FILLED WITH THE MAGA RIOTERS, PROUD BOYS, AND OTHER ELEMENTS.

SO, THE PROUD BOYS WERE IN NO WAY A DIVERSION. THEY HAD TO BREACH TRANSIENT 2 AND BREACH TRANSIENT 3 AND THEN SHUTTING DOWN THE ELECTORAL COUNT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR MORE TERRIFYING AND DANGEROUS TO THE SENATORS AND VICE PRESIDENT PENCE.

THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC OF THE ATTACK WOULD HAVE CHANGED FOR DONALD TRUMP. HE WOULD LITERALLY HAVE BEEN STARING AT HIS TELEVISION SET AND SEEING VICTORY IN SIGHT. IF TRUMP WAS DELIGHTED AT THE VISUALS OF THE ATTACK ON THE BUILDING, IMAGINE HIS ECSTASY AT SEEING HIS “STAND BACK AND STAND BY” PROUD BOYS, THE QANON CONSPIRACY MOVEMENT, AND THE OATH KEEPERS INSIDE THE SENATE CHAMBER BEATING UP SENATORS, ATTEMPTING TO ARREST SENATORS, AND ACCUSING THE SENATORS OF TRYING TO INSTALL A PRO-COMMUNIST CHINA PUPPET GOVERNMENT IN THE HANDS OF JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS.

Give 'Em Enough Rope?

The ides of the month are once again upon us and you know what that means. In this very special subscribers' episode of The Farm I'm joined by Radix Verum of Patriots' Soapbox. Radix is one of the most controversial investigators active in the alternative media today. She and her husband, Pamphlet Anon, were early players in what became the QAnon phenomena going back to the pre-8chan days. In this exclusive interview, Radix traces the early history of the Q movement from the perspective of someone who witnessed it first hand. She recounts the involvement she and her husband had with Dr. Jerome Corsi (he of World Net Daily, Info Wars, the Swift Boat Vets, the Birthers, and so on...), his ties with the early Q movement, and other shadowy figures lurking in the background. 

From there, we get into who may have been behind Q. Radix lays out the intrigues unfolding in the Middle East and how this led an Israeli private intelligence company known as Psy-Group to ponder some novel psychological warfare techniques. From there, we get into Psy-Group's post-2016 election business arrangements with the infamous SCL Group/Cambridge Analytica network. This led to a host of developments, leading up to many of the strange moves at the Pentagon after the 2020 election, and climaxing with the events of January 6th. 

Along the way, we have an epic discussion concerning Colonel Michael Aquino, his doctrine of MindWar, and the influences of Jacques Ellul & Giordano Bruno upon it; the overlap between the theory-fictions of The Aviary and QAnon; the use of "twilight language" in psychological warfare; the real foreign influence on the US government; and so much more. 

But that's not all subscribers have to look forward to today. They're getting an additional, two-hours of bonus material! Yes, an complete second interview between Radix and myself is also going up today!

After Radix agreed to appear on The Farm, I offered to return the favor and appear on PSB. She took me up on that offer and the result is two hours of parapolitical/high weirdness gold. After live streaming this interview on Patriots' Soapbox on May 14, 2021, Radix has graciously allowed me to repost it in my subscribers' section.  

The first hour largely focuses on the events of January 6th; the role the Oath Keepers played; the general history of the outfit; and the American stay-behind network. From there, things start getting weird. I delve into the early history of Ufology, the Collins Elite, CIA/Pentagon-engineered cults, Skinwalker Ranch, the Sovereign Order of Saint John, and the Order of the White Eagle. The first half is certainly more coherent, but there are plenty of gems to be found in the second. As always, I hope you guys enjoy. And a big thank you Radix for having me PBS and allowing me to upload this ep. As always, I hope you guys enjoy. 

Radix is the latest in an ever growing roster of guests for these exclusive subscriber shows. Prior guests include Diana Walsh-Pasulka, Richard B. Spence Christopher Knowles, Douglas Valentine, Adam Gorightly, Greg Bishop, Walter Bosley, J. Michael "Doc Future" Bennett, Erica Lukes, David Metcalfe, Neil Sanders, the Penny Royal crew, Edmund Berger and Samuel Vandiver. Next up is Dr. Andre Gagne of Concordia University to talk some spiritual warfare and related topics. 

Non-Lethals and SOCOM

Obviously, there are no shortage of current events to discuss at present. Let's begin with a thread we explored during my last post: non-lethal weapons. Yes, they've been back in the news in a big way over the last few weeks. The crickets explanation has quietly been dismissed regarding "Havana syndrome." Sonic or microwave weapons are back on the table. What's more, the Pentagon is alleging that military personnel have been targeted in Syria. Both the CIA and the Pentagon are currently carrying out investigations into these incidents. 

Now, more fuel has been added to the fire, and by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki no less. In May 2021 she acknowledged that suspected attacks have occurred in these United States, including in the nation's capital. The Daily Mail has also acknowledged reports of Havana syndrome in DC. One reported victim was a National Security Council staffer while the other was simply described as a "White House official" in the Trump administration. 

As was noted above, the CIA and Pentagon have already been studying the incidents. But apparently, that's not enough. Biden's National Security Council is now conducting it's own investigation as well. 

For those of us who have followed the developments of the non-lethal weapons for years now, these last few weeks have been quite eyebrow raising. This is the type of stuff that was largely dismissed as far out conspiracy theories for decades. But in 2021, we've seen numerous mainstream news agencies acknowledge the possibility of these types of weapons being a reality. It's something worth keeping an eye on going forward, especially with the looming UFO Disclosure on the horizon. 

***

On the subject of things worth keeping an eye on, let us turn our attention to ongoing developments within the special operations community. As regular readers of this blog are aware, a lot has been going on in such circles for the past year or so. On the one hand, the outgoing Trump administration took steps to establish the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) as it's own branch of the military during it's final months. On the other hand, a rash of strange deaths over the past year have rocked Fort Bragg, the black heart of the US special operations community. As to the latter, even the mainstream media has begun to take note. No less than Rolling Stone weighed in, gleefully ripping off my research without credit along the way. So it goes. 

While 2020 was certainly a banner year for SOCOM scandals (the extent of which we likely will not know for decades), the warning signs have been evident for a while now. Members of the special operations community have been implicated in drug trafficking and even murder with increasingly frequency in recent years. Reportedly, all the murders linked to Fort Bragg this past year involved drugs. One is left with the distinct impression that SOCOM is little more than a glorified drug cartel, not unlike it's predecessor, the CIA's Directorate of Plans/Operations (DO). But the DO got soft towards the end of the Cold War, playing the role of the American Syndicate to SOCOM's rising Russian mafia. 

It is Trump's decision to elevate SOCOM to it's own branch of the military that is proving most controversial, however. Politico reports that current SOCOM commander General Richard D. Clarke has been rallying his not inconsiderable resources to push back against the move. Clarke is concerned about encroaching civilian control over SOCOM if the outfit is made into it's own branch of the military. 

General Richard D. Clarke

This is a bit of a surprising development, and adds another level of intrigue to the ongoing saga involving the Pentagon during Trump's final months in office. Shortly after his alleged defeat in the 2020 US Presidential Election, the Orange One abruptly sacked Mark Esper (who had publicly rebuked Trump for suggesting the use of the military to quell riots during the summer of 2020 and oversaw the DoD when the military refused to intervene in the 2020 elections) and replaced him with Christopher C. Miller as Secretary of Defense. Miller, in turn, was quick to elevate SOCOM to it's own branch of the Armed Forces. 

It should be emphasized that Miller himself is a former US Army colonel who spent virtually his entire career in special operations, including a stint with the highly secretive Intelligence Support Activity (note before here). Thus, he should have been as aware of the pulse of SOCOM as well as anyone. And yet he pushed throw this highly controversial move while Trump was theoretically a lame duck? And he continues to vigorously defend Trump's actions regarding January 6th to boot. 

Christopher C. Miller

What is going on here, especially in the context of the criminal activity at Fort Bragg? Was elevating SOCOM to it's own branch of the military a form of blackmail? Heightened civilian control over SOCOM may well have shown a brighter light on the rampant criminal activity in the special operations community. This is turn could have led to more restrictions, and possibly even prosecutions. Was Trump attempting to force SOCOM to support his attempts to over turn the election by using this as leverage? It was reported that deploying the military was discussed before Trump's advisors opted for the January 6th protests instead. Was General Clarke concerned about the politicization of SOCOM that would have resulted from these moves? 

But would special operations veterans like Michael Flynn and especially Miller have supported such a crass power grab by Trump over a command they, and many of Trump's military supporters, had pledged their lives' work too? 

Curiously, current Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (who also has deep ties to Fort Bragg) made partially reversing SOCOM's status as an independent branch of the military a top priority. Currently a decision remains in limbo as the Joint Special Operations University conducts what is widely viewed as a sham review. In all likelihood, it will recommend SOCOM retains it's present status.

Lloyd Austin

I again return to the bizarre series of events involving General Charles Flynn during the months leading up to and the day of the capital riots. Flynn, the brother of Michael, was nominated for another star on November 30th, shortly after the action involving SOCOM's status. His star was then confirmed by the Senate the day after that faithful meeting in the Oval Office in which the January 6th "protest" was conceived. General Charles Flynn was then in on the discussion to deploy the military in the capital on the day of the riots, despite being outside the chain-of-command. Was the status of SOCOM part of the conversation taking place then? 

General Charles Flynn

Was Trump, as a lame duck, implementing a decision forced upon SOCOM by Congress that no one wanted to see through? Were the riots in turn to ensure that the incoming Biden administration would reverse course? 

I suspect the factors behind January 6th and the moves leading up to it were Byzantine, and the status of SOCOM was thus one of many. But it clearly seems to have been more contested than I originally believed. Maybe in 50 years we'll finally have some indication of how central it was. Clearly, this is a JFK assassination/9/11-type deep event unfolding before our eyes. 

He's Baaaaack

The other headline that's caught my eye is the announcement of the pending divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates. While this is significant on a number of levels, the really intriguing thing is who's name has surfaced in conjunction with the separation: Jeffrey Epstein. Remember that crazy guy? Everyone's favorite VIP sex trafficker? 

Bill Gates surely wishes Melinda didn't. 

The couple has allegedly spent weeks working with PR specialists to frame their divorce. And yet, Melinda Gates' camp is clearly dishing the dirt on Bill's relationship to Jeffrey. And it's not pretty. The Daily Beast reports that the relationship between Gates and Epstein was much closer than originally reported, surprising absolutely no one who has followed this train wreck. 

Bill and Melinda

It was already acknowledged that Boris Nikolić, a biotech investor and former scientific adviser to Gates, was mysteriously named as a back-up executioner for Epstein's will. What's more, Melanie Walker, a former Gates Foundation employee, would go on to become a scientific adviser to Epstein (whom she had known since 1992). Other names have surfaced as well. Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft's chief technology officer during the late 1990s, appears to have had links to Epstein going back to that era. Elsewhere Linda Stone, who worked with Myhryold at Microsoft (where she eventually became a vice-president) during the 1990s, had also had links to Epstein since at least the early 00s. So, the Epstein/Microsoft connection is very much a thing. 

But with a looming divorce, the stakes have been upped. Thus, The Daily Beast has acquired access to such money quotes as this nugget Bill Gates dispatched to the Gates Foundation stuff via email concerning Epstein: "His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me."

Gates' handlers were quick to insist that Bill was only referring to Epstein's "unique décor” and his habit of "spontaneously bringing acquaintances in to meet Mr. Gates.” Sure he was. The décor no doubt played a leading role in Mr. Gates ponying up $2 million to MIT's Media Lab in 2014, alleging with Epstein facilitating the transaction. Perhaps the décor also played a role in Mr. Gates abruptly breaking off relations with Mr. Epstein by the end of that year. 

But more likely, it was Mrs. Gates. Bill Gates' relationship with Epstein allegedly "still haunts Melinda." Reportedly, her decision to divorce Bill was spurred by the Epstein revelations of 2019. If this is as much a sore spot as the nuggets leaked by her camp indicate it is, some real fireworks are probably on the horizon. 

It also brings the long-simmering Epstein scandal back into play in a big way. Gates is the second high profile figure linked to Epstein to become ensnared in a scandal this year already. As was noted before here, Andrew Cuomo is currently fighting for his political life due to his own long-simmering sex scandals. The Cuomo-Epstein links have been kept on the backburner a bit thus far, but with the Gates thing breaking, it's something to keep an eye on. 

Andrew Cuomo

What's especially interesting about these revelations is how visibly linked Cuomo and Gates are to the neo-liberal/Davos response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gates in particular has been leading the charge for mass vaccination since literally onset of the pandemic. How is the "Trust the Science" crowd going to respond to accounts of Gates actively abusing teenage girls with his pal Epstein? 

And what if it doesn't stop there? As I've been emphasizing since 2019, virtually the entire field of celebrity scientists are compromised by links to Epstein. Even Stephen Hawking had ties to Epstein, for God's sake. 

Hawking visiting Epstein's private island

What's more, it's not just the personal lives of these scientists that were compromised by Epstein. For much of the twenty-first century, most of Epstein's efforts revolved around funding scientific research. Incidentally, this is one aspect of the Epstein scandal that no one wants to touch. Little has come out concerning it and the little that has is designed to make these pursuits sound as foolish as possible. Need I remind you of the "revelation" that Epstein wished to cryogenically freeze his penis? 

The MSM efforts to mock Epstein's scientific research when not downplaying it is a dead giveaway as to how serious it really was. And what if people start asking hard questions about such things while the neo-liberal COVID response in full swing? 

That is certainly a very interesting question and raises some additional compelling ones. Most notably, why would the Davos crowd tap someone like Gates or Cuomo to take such a visible lead while Epstein hung as a Sword of Damocles over them? And the same is true of virtually all the other arch globalists backing the Davos COVID response. Seriously, Jeff Bezos? Eric Schmidt? Ghislaine Maxwell already started talking up her relationship with either men last summer. What else will she have to say in the coming months?

Ghislaine (right) was arrested abruptly in July 2020 after hiding out for nearly a year. When the FBI finally dropped by the arrest her, they found her being guarded by a team of SAS veterans

The use of Gates as the front man for these efforts is increasingly baffling in this context. The Epstein/Gates connection already surfaced in a big way in 2019, to the point that Melinda allegedly began contemplating divorce shortly thereafter. And yet no one foresaw this train wreck unfolding?  It's even more interesting that the looming divorce was kept under wraps until after Trump left office.

While this no doubt aided Biden in getting elected, if more Epstein/Gates revelations are forthcoming, it's not going to make the country any more governable. Further, given the extent to which the Democratic Party embraced figures like Cuomo and Gates during the horrors of 2020, it could cause serious branding issues going forward. The same goes for the Davos crowd. 

Was this simply hubris? A delusional sense of invincibility? A belief that anything would be excused in the name of getting Trump out of office? Well, the Orange One is gone. And it's looking like the chicks are just now starting to come home to roost. 

Or was someone anticipating, even banking, on the Davos crowd reacting in the fashion that they have (read: LARPing every conspiracy theory former Office of Naval Intelligence officer William Milton Cooper ever disseminated to the point of becoming comic book super villains)? There's no question the neo-liberal order has been in decline for some time now and the rise of Trump and Brexit in the Anglo-American heartlands no doubt invoked a sense of desperation amongst the Davos set. All the stops were pulled out in a sad attempt to reverse the course of history. 

The end result is to have made these United States, the linchpin of the neo-liberal order, all but ungovernable and rapidly approaching a massive economic downturn. Large swaths of the country consider Biden to be an illegitimate president and those numbers will only grow as investigations into voter fraud continue. If the Epstein thing is taken to it's logical conclusion, what little credibility the scientific community and leading Democrats have left with the public at large will be gone. Interesting times indeed, and I increasingly suspect that was the plan all along. 

Do You Believe in Magic?

It's May Day folks, which means its also the first of the month. And that means, besides celebrating the Rites of Spring in your own peculiar way, you've also got a brand new, exclusive episode of The Farm to add to the festivities. That is if you're a subscriber, of course.  

This is an exclusive installment in The Farm's ongoing "The Secret History of Ufology" series. Joining me for this round is Erica Lukes of UFO Classified. Erica is a former member of MUFON, first working as a field investigator and later becoming a State Director for Utah. She's also been a guest on such TV shows as History's Ancient Aliens and The Travel Channel's UFOs: The Lost Evidence. 

Erica's background is especially apt for the topic of discussion: the Mutual UFO Network, more commonly known as MUFON. On the surface, MUFON may not seem like the sexiest topic, but that's probably because you haven't been paying attention. MUFON is undoubtedly one of the sleaziest and most corrupt organizations active today. The upper echelons have been deeply implicated in a host of outrages, including pedophilia, sexual entrapment, data mining, and right-wing extremism. And that's just MUFON's "Inner Circle."

Rank-and-file members are routinely exploited by the organization. Simply filing a report with MUFON can lead one to losing the copyright to their encounter account (seriously). Personal data turned over to MUFON has likely been sold to a host of shadowy companies. And if you expect anyone to be qualified who works with MUFON, forget it: Being anything from a field investigator to a member of the Inner Circle is determined by nothing other than how much cash you're willing to pony up. To cap it off, former members who have come forward have often been subjected to gang stalking and other forms of harassment. 

And those are just a few of the topics we touch upon. Also up for discussion are the Mormon mafia, nonlethal weapons, the dark uses of the real estate industry, personality profiling, and the real possibility of a QAnon-style operation breaking out in the UFO field. It's a fascinating talk chalk full of original research and first-hand accounts of the inner workings of MUFON. As always, I hope you guys enjoy. 

Erica is the latest in an ever-growing collection of exclusive shows for The Farm's subscribers. Prior guests include Diana Walsh-Pasulka, Richard B. Spence, Christopher Knowles, Douglas Valentine, Adam Gorightly, Walter Bosley, Greg Bishop, J. Michael "Doctor Future" Bennett, David Metcalfe, Neil Sanders, Edmund Berger, and Samuel Vandiver. Coming up soon will be my interview with Radix Verum of Patriot's Soapbox, in which she will provide an insider's account of the origins of Q. 

Plantation Intrigues

Many strange things have happened before, during, and after the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of these United States. Recently, a little more light had has been shed on one of the more notable curiosities surrounding Inauguration Day. It was then that an obscure company in South Florida suddenly announced to the world that it had taken over the management of an enormous chunk of idle space of Internet owned by he Department of Defense. 

In the following weeks, speculation has been rampant concerning this move. The Pentagon was finally forced to clarify matters recently. Reportedly, these moves were made to allow the military to "assess, evaluate and prevent unauthorized use of DoD IP address space" and to "identify potential vulnerabilities" so as to defend against cyberattacks. 

As to the former, the Pentagon has to routinely contend with unauthorized squatters setting up shop on it's Internet space. Chasing off these squatters is likely in play, but the military may also be planning on collecting "a massive amount of background internet traffic for threat intelligence.” The end game could be to set up some type of digital honeypot to draw in hackers, or even set up an infrastructure to scour traffic for suspect activity. 

What no one seems to grok is the company selected for these efforts --Global Resource Systems LLC. Red flags abound, starting with the outfit's name. A prior incarnation of Global Resource Systems operated in the same South Florida city during the first decade of the twenty-first century. The prior incarnation dealt in spam mail and shut down more than a decade ago. The new GRS is an LLC rather than a corporation, but appears to be using the same Internet routing identifier. Naturally, no explanation has been put forth as to why a Pentagon contractor would be taking on the persona of a spam mail outfit.  

GRS Mach II has no online presence as yet. The LLC was originally incorporated in Delaware by a Beverly Hills lawyer, and only seems to exist physically in a shared workspace above a bank. And yet, it reportedly controls more Internet space than China Telecom, AT&T, or Comcast. 

The Beverly Hills attorney is one Raymond Saulino. Previously, Saulino had ties to a company called Packet Forensics. This outfit specialized in selling forged security credentials to government agencies and law enforcement so to make it easier for them to spy on people's browsing history. The company was eventually able to parlay these skills into a DARPA contract. In theory, the capabilities Packet Forensics specializes in would be ideal for staging a cyberattack false flag --something that's been a growing concern in recent years. Of course, only the Russians, the Chinese, or other "rogue" regimes would ever dream of doing such a thing. The US's interest is surely only for "defensive" purposes. 

For me, the most interesting thing about Global Resource Systems LLC is it's location: Plantation, FL. Part of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, Plantation is not known for much. While somewhat more affluent than other, nearby areas, it's not an especially rich region by the standards of Miami. Nor is it especially economically viable. 

A Magical Place

GRS may have chosen Plantation for it's headquarters because it's such an unassuming location in one of the most economically significant areas of the US. However, there just happens to be another curious company based out Planation. It goes by then name of Magic Leap (ML). 

ML was founded in 2010 by a biomedical engineer named Rony Abovitz. For a time, much effort was put forward to hype up Abovitz as the next bro tech billionaire a la Elon Musk. Almost every profile I've read of him is quick to point out his love of sci-fi. We are also assured he has a unique way of viewing the world, that he builds "wealth through people" (just as every despot throughout human history has....), and that he he values diversity. 

Circa 2016, with the neo-liberal organ Wired leading the charge, it was proclaimed that Abovitz was engaged in a "Quest to Create a New King of Reality." Abovitz and ML were going to manage this through a "new" type of technology known as "augmented reality." In reality, AR is just a variation of the same type of virtual reality tech that's been available since the late 1980s. The major difference between AR and VR is that the latter attempts to immerse the player in an entirely digital world. In the case of AR, the real world and objects in it are "enhanced" by "computer-generated perceptual information." As with VR, headsets are a requirement of AR, along with other bulky equipment worn over the body so as to more completely immerse the player in the experience. 

Magic Leap's headset and related tech were said to be the best. Numerous accounts of it breathlessly likened it to the Oasis of Ready Player One or the Metaverse of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. In fact, ML dug the Snow Crash comparison so much that the company even hired Stephenson as the company's "chief futurist." 

Nor was Stephenson the only hipster cred ML attempted to attract. Game designer Graeme Devine, creator of The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour, was brought in as the "Chief Creative Officer." The big catch, however, was surely effects designer Richard Taylor, the founder and head of Weta Workshops. Taylor and his company are best down for providing the bulk of the effects for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The connection to Taylor and Weta provided ample opportunities for Jackson to drop by ML to observe the future of entertainment, especially when the company happened to be doing a certain type of entertaining involving journalists. 

Remarkably, it worked. During the middle of the past decade, a lot of companies were buying into the hype around ML --literally. During it's big coming out party in 2014, ML raised over $500 million in investment. Among the contributors were Google, Qualcomm, and venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins. The most remarkable part is that none of these companies reportedly knew exactly what they were investing in when they opened their wallets. All that mattered was that Abovitz was ready to revolutionize technology any day. 

Of course, it wasn't just the entertainment industry Magic Leap was trying to revolutionize. Amidst much less fanfare, the company also set it's sites (har har) on those plush, juicy defense contracts. Nor is this surprising in the least. Despite all the bold projections about how ML would change the ways stories were told, product roll out has been problematic, to put mildly. The truth is, no one really seems to know if AR has long term commercial viability. 

Military applications are a different story. They already exist and will likely only grow in the coming years. ML appears to have been a little late to recognize this. The only brought in a big shot defense director in 2018. It didn't take long for military interest to pick up after that. By 2019, the US Navy was using ML headsets. 

ML headsets being used by the US Navy for training exercises

It all appears to have been to little, to late, however. Towards the end of March 2021, rival Microsoft was awarded a sought after contract to deliver AR headsets to the Army. This was one in a string of setbacks ML experienced beginning in 2020. In the spring of that year, it laid off nearly a thousand of its employees and dropped its commercial business. The pandemic was blamed, but it wasn't enough to save founder Rony Abovitz. After several years of media hype, he was unceremonially forced out of the company. In 2019, Magic Leap was valued at $6.7 billion dollars. By September 2020, it had fallen to $450 million, a loss of 93% of its value. The Microsoft deal this year was probably the final nail in the coffin. 

Undoubtedly, we'll never know what exactly happened behind the scenes. No doubt, there were political considerations. The Microsoft deal being green lit months after Biden took office is likely not coincidental. Its also quite ominous. One of the major issues raised concerning the use of AR in the military is the ease with which the tech can be hacked. And of course, Microsoft's security appears to have been greatly compromised by a recent cyberattack. Kind of seems like a recipe for disaster --not that anyone asked me. 

Was Magic Leap simply not as incompetent or corrupt as their counterparts in Microsoft? Possibly, but perhaps their purpose has simply been fulfilled. One of the most interesting names linked to the company is the one of Sean Stewart. Stewart has worn many hats over the course of his media career, but he is principally known for his work in the alternate reality game (ARG) field, where he is considered a pioneer. Stewart was involved in setting up early ARGs such as The Beast and Ilovebees. Stewart co-founded two companies, 42 Entertainment and Fourth Wall Studios, that were among the first to specialize in the commercial applications of ARGs. 

Stewart

Thus, I found it most interesting that Stewart put in five years with Magic Leap, first as a consultant, and later as a "creative director." Stewart's tenure with the company ended in April 2020, just as the lay offs were kicking in. Certainly, it's interesting to see a guy with this kind of background working for a company based out of what was going to be a highly contested state during the 2020 election. Just saying. 

And what of this Global System Resources outfit springing up as a major force in Plantation just as ML appears to throwing in the towel?  Is it all a feign, with a new, militarized version of ML rising from the ashes after a lifeline or two from GSR? Only time will tell, but it's truly odd these highly secretive, defense-related tech companies ended up in the same obscure Florida city in recent years. These developments certainly warrant keeping an eye on. 

Non-lethals

Since we're speculating on tech with military applications, why not cover some non-lethal weapons? This is a subject once again making headlines, and in some remarkable ways. Most notably, how casually mainstream publications are acknowledging directed-energy weapons as a thing. 

It all started with a re-evaluation of "Havana syndrome." Remember that? It occurred several years ago, and involved American diplomats in Cuban and Russia experiencing unusual system. Initially, there were rumblings of some type of sonic weapon being used. Eventually, this explanation was brushed aside in favor of more "reasonable" culprits, such as the sounds of crickets causing the unusual injuries reported. 

Fear the cricket...

Now it turns out, the cricket explanation may not have been entirely accurate either. Reports are coming out that the initial investigation was botched, and that the possibility of non-lethals being used is so probable that the CIA felt the need to create a task force to study the matter. It's interesting to note that the reports of the CIA task force on this matter first began to emerge a little over a month after Biden took office. 

Then in April 2021, the Pentagon massively raised the stakes. It alleged that US forces were targeted with directed-energy weapons in Syria. In the same breath, they blamed the Russians for these attacks. Curiously, these reports started to come out after Congressional lawmakers were briefed on these attacks by "Pentagon officials." When these same lawmakers questioned General Frank McKenzie, the head of CenCom, about these reports, he informed them that he had seen "no evidence" of such attacks against US troops in the Middle East. 

In fairness to General McKenzie, it's probably the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) rather than CenCom that's directing the war in Syria. Thus, McKenzie is not in the chain of command for this one. And the chain of command is so important in the military, unless you happen to be a member of the Flynn family. 

Politico further hints at a SOCOM link when it noted that the Pentagon's Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) initiated an investigation into directed-energy weapons being used against US troops in Syria during 2020. The Assistant Secretary of Defense who heads the SO/LIC is the principal civilian responsible for oversight of the SOCOM. 

This is interesting on a few levels. For one, it further reinforces the interest SOCOM has in non-lethals. But beyond this, there's who headed the SO/LIC during 2020: Eventual Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller; and Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a notorious lackey of Michael Flynn's. We've already explored some of the recent intrigues involving the Miller/ECW duo during the final week's of Trump's presidency. If either or both of these characters are the ones who initiated this investigation, it raises some interesting possibilities. 

Batman and the Boy Wonder: Miller (top) and ECW (bottom)

Effectively both the CIA and SOCOM, the two principal bodies responsible for covert operations in the national security state (and at times, intense rivals of one another), are actively investigating the use of non-lethals on US personnel by "foreign actors" (aka the Russians). This is all quite fascinating in light of the looming UFO Disclosure, which will be unfolding soon. Hype has apparently built to the point that Forbes had pondered whether 2021 will be the year of the UFO. 

Certainly, there have been a lot of interesting developments during the run up. Shortly before the COVID bill was signed, the bizarre monolith LARP broke out, first nationally, then internationally. But it started in the state of Utah, which is highly significant to modern Ufology due to the Mormon connection. Popular Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson has been flogging the UFO Disclosure narrative on a regular basis. John Ratcliffe, Trump's former Director of National Intelligence, has been hyping reports collected by the military. And of course, the military played in a role in the hype after it confirmed the authenticity of several dubious videos in the spring of 2020. 

In certain circles, there has been speculation that the UFO Disclosure narrative will be used as a means of rolling out the US Military's new, high tech toys --toys that may (this will surely never be confirmed) be based upon reverse engineered alien tech. I suspect these toys will be based upon concepts that have been researched in the non-lethal field (i.e. directed-energy weapons) for some time. 

In this context, it makes a lot of sense to have the CIA and SOCOM investigating the non-lethal tech of China and Russia. If I'm correct, then it can be claimed their weapons derive from a similar source, further bolstering the claims of the US intelligence community. And just imagine the kind of escalations that could occur with those types of weapons of massive destruction. 

Mind you, I really hope I'm way off base on this one. The temptation is always to chalk UFO Disclosure up as another round of confidence games. But there's just something about this one that seems ever so slightly off. And with recent develops in Ufology (see today's interview with Erica Lukes) that's led to increased fanaticism, a perfect storm-type scenario could be unfolding before our eyes. 

Again, I hope I'm way off base, but stay alert folks and don't buy into the hype during the coming weeks. And with that I shall sign off for now. Until next time, stay tuned.