Today's episode takes us into the archives 20 years ago to the day. Less than a week after the United States military invaded Iraq, Middle East Report editor Chris Toensing spoke with Chuck about the narrative being spun at the time to frame the invasion as a preemptive defensive measure to remove an imminent threat to the United States. Little did Chris and Chuck know at the time just how much water the media would carry for the Bush administration and the imperialists at the Project for the New American Century. Then Jeff regales us with his vision of illuminated dog paws. Finally, a Question from Hell winner is announced.

Weapons of Mass Distraction / Chris Toensing

Today's episode takes us into the archives 20 years ago to the day. Less than a week after the United States military invaded Iraq, Middle East Report editor Chris Toensing spoke with Chuck about the narrative being spun at the time to frame the invasion as a preemptive defensive measure to remove an imminent threat to the United States. Little did Chris and Chuck know at the time just how much water the media would carry for the Bush administration and the imperialists at the Project for the New American Century.

This is the audio version of The Reason Live Stream, which I co-host every Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern with my Reason colleague Zach Weissmueller. 

Today's guest is Jacob Siegel, a journalist who served in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He's written a fantastic essay for Tablet magazine called, "A Guide to Understanding the Hoax of the Century: Thirteen ways of looking at disinformation." 

This is, simply, the best piece I've read about how what Jacob calls "the ruling class" is trying to literally and figuratively control political and cultural discourse about politics, public health, and other pressing topics. Jacob provides a history and a deconstruction of the concept of disinformation, a term borrowed from Cold War spycraft that became ubiquitous in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential victory in 2016.

Along the way, we discuss elite apologetics for suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story on social media, the revolving door between the national security state and the media, and how tactics devised for use overseas in the global war on terror are now being used against Americans on a daily basis.

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The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

Jacob Siegel: 'Disinformation' Is the Hoax of the Century

Our hosts jump decades in what may be their final broadcast.

1990 A.D - 05 - A SCANNER DARKLY

Paul  Etheredge's Album

MQ-1 Predator [original instrumental]

Karen Greenberg, Director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, joins This is Hell! to discuss her latest article, "Closing Guantánamo?: Yes, at a Snail's Pace...but a Pace," published in TomDispatch. 

Seb returns with another installment of The Past Inside the Present.

Check out her article here: https://tomdispatch.com/closing-guantanamo/

Check out the United Nations 2023 special report on GITMO here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-terrorism/us-and-guantanamo-detention-facility

Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Guantánamo Is Closing...at a Snail's Pace / Karen Greenberg

On this second episode on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Dr. Marios Efthymiopoulos, CEO of Strategy International, is joined by Dan Feferman, Dr. Ahmed Khuzaie and Dr. Janiel Melamed to analyze the developments of this deadly conflict in the Middle-East. They discuss Israel's response to Hamas' terrorist attack; the growing international pressure to mitigate a humanitarian crisis; cease-fire and peace negotiations; foreign leaders' visits in the region; the role of the media and the importance of accuracy in the information being reported and much more.

Dr. Janiel Melamed is a Professor of International Security and Middle-Eastern Studies at Universidad Del Norte, in Colombia. 
Dan Feferman and Dr. Ahmed Khuzaie work as Executive Director and Political Affairs Director, respectively, at Sharaka, a NGO established in 2020 by people from Israel, UAE and Bahrain following the signing of the Abraham Accords.

This podcast is made for Strategy International (SI) Ltd, Cyprus

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This podcast (audio or audiovisual) may not be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, resold, visited, or otherwise exploited for any commercial, scientific, educational purpose without the written consent of Strategy International (SI) Ltd and its legal representative.

SI#35 - Israel's War On Terror (Part B)

In Episode 9 of “Unpacking Islamophobia,” our guest is Spencer Ackerman, a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award–winning reporter and author of the book Reign of Terror: How The 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump. 

“We saw through the War on Terror that Islamophobia impacts everyone, whether you are Muslim or not,” began Mr. Ackerman as he analyzed many post-9/11 surveillance programs affecting millions of innocent people. He began by discussing the STELLARWIND program which involved mass data mining of a large database of the communications of American citizens; including email communications, telephone conversations, financial transactions, and Internet activity of millions of innocent people.

In this episode, Ackerman also discussed the global torture campaigns inflicted on countless Muslim and Arab men around the globe who were subjected to inhumane treatment in places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. He also discussed “sexual abuse” at CIA black sites where Muslim detainees were victims of sexual torture around the world with very little government oversight.

Five Questions On Islamophobia In The War On Terror

Flying the Tyrant Saddam Hussein | My Story

Mohammed Sulaiman was the son of a distinguished military officer of Saddam Hussein and the Iraq Air Force. He grew up one day wanting to follow his father's footsteps and fly. He graduated flight training and his experience resulted in him becoming a member of the Iraq elite VIP Squadron. It wasn't long before he became the pilot of Saddam and his family.

In this episode, Mohammed shares how he became Saddam's pilot and how he was in Baghdad at the military airport in a bunker during Desert Storm when all of the aircraft was destroyed by US bombing raids. He shares how things changed in that country and how his life was in danger, before escaping to America where he's raised his four children and has enjoyed the American Dream.

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00:00 Intro
00:19 Flying tyrants - Saddam and his family
00:28 Desert Storm - the attack and aftermath
00:42 Splitting Iraq into - the civil war
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00:59 Living the American Dream

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EP-352 | Flying the Tyrant Saddam Hussein

The Intercept's Nick Turse joins This Is Hell! to discuss his just-published report, "Civilian Harm Secret Pentagon Investigation Found No One at Fault in Drone Strike That Killed Woman and 4-Year-Old." In the undeclared drone war, nobody is accountable.

Check out Nick's report here: https://theintercept.com/2023/11/12/somalia-drone-strike-civilian-deaths/

Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Pentagon Finds No One at Fault for 2018 Drone Strike that Killed Somali Woman and Child / Nick Turse

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, this week joined by special guest Deirdre Molumby, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This time, to mark the 20th anniversary of its release, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

After the Battle of Helm's Deep, the forces of men rally at Minas Tirith for one final confrontation against Sauron. At the same time, Frodo and Sam press deeper into Mordor, guided by the mysterious Gollum. However, with the fate of Middle Earth hanging in the balance, this epic struggle may yet come down to the most unlikely of figures.

At time of recording, it was ranked 7th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Show Notes

360. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (#7)

We reflect on the 22nd anniversary of Guantanamo, where prisoners of the War on Terror first arrived on January 11, 2002. Since Guantanamo is located in Cuba, the U.S. government initially claimed that neither U.S. law nor international law applied there, a claim that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected. The U.S. government continues to violate domestic and international law at Guantanamo, including the Torture Convention (CAT). Detainees did not have due process rights and some spent twenty years there without charge and without trial. Prisoners also suffered a wide range of torture, including sensory deprivation or bombardment, stress positions, sleep deprivation and desecration of the Koran. According to U.S. government sources, of the 780 Muslim men and boys who have come through the military prison, more than 92 percent could not be tied to terrorism. 

Sadly, countries around the world, especially authoritarian countries such as China and Russia, have routinely made reference to Guantanamo when trying to justify their own human rights violations (in the name of national security). Internationally, the U.S. has lost credibility as a country supposedly bound by law. Terrorist organizations have also used the abuses at Guantanamo to bolster recruitment, which runs counter to the security interests of the United States. 

As of today, 30 prisoners still remain at Guantanamo, even though 16 of them have been cleared for release, many of them years ago. Former prisoners who have been transferred (often to countries other than their countries of origin) have faced considerable challenges. Some of the receiving countries have put them under house arrest or imprisoned and tortured them. In several countries it is not possible to get legal residency, work permits or health insurance. Visits with family are also prohibited. 

Fionnuala Ni Aolain visited the prison complex as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Countering Terrorism. Her report (including her recommendations on p. 4) can be found here: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/terrorism/sr/2023-06-26-SR-terrorism-technical-visit-US-guantanamo-detention-facility.pdf

Human rights organizations, faith-based organizations, and NGOs are calling on the Biden administration to close Guantanamo. The letter can be found here: https://www.cvt.org/statements/cvt-and-coalition-partners-call-on-president-biden-to-close-guantanamo-permanently/ 

Amnesty International's current petition is here: https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/close-guantanamo/

The Amnesty 2021 report on Guantanamo is here: https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/USA_-Right-the-Wrong_Decision-Time-on-Guantananmo.pdf

The 2022 report by Human Rights Watch is here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/09/legacy-dark-side

The NYT Guantanamo Docket is here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/guantanamo-bay-detainees.html

Other organizations working on Guantanamo include:
https://www.closeguantanamo.org/
https://www.cvt.org/
https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/issues/guantanamo
https://www.peacefultomorrows.org/

WRFI Human Rights Show

Guantanamo 2024

Subscribe on Patreon and hear this week's full patron-exclusive episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/96989016

Beatrice speaks with Maryam Jamshidi about how US law has been shaped in recent decades to specifically guard against Palestinian self-determination, and the direct role that Benjamin Netanyahu, Benzion Netanyahu, and other Israeli officials had in crafting contemporary state definitions of what constitutes “terrorism.”

Get Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism

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Death Panel 486 Teaser - Instruments of Dehumanization w/ Maryam Jamshidi (01/22/24)

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Teaser - Instruments of Dehumanization w/ Maryam Jamshidi (01/22/24)

Our final guest of the week is Dr. Maha Hilal, who wrote the TomDispatch piece, "Israel, the United States, and the Rhetoric of the War on Terror: From September 11, 2001, to October 7, 2023 (and Beyond)." Maha is founding Executive Director of the Muslim Counterpublics Lab and author of, "Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Islamophobia, the War on Terror, and the Muslim Experience Since 9/11."

A new The Past Inside the Present with Sebastian Wuepper follows the interview.

Check out Maha's article here: https://tomdispatch.com/israel-the-united-states-and-the-rhetoric-of-the-war-on-terror/

Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Israel, the United States, and the Rhetoric of the War on Terror / Maha Hilal

On this episode of The Side Comment, Richard English discusses the effectiveness of counter-terrorism efforts, as a less extensively examined phenomenon. Through a series of questions, he explores why it is an important topic for us to look at in a new way that considers successes and failures. Highlighting the case studies contained within his book, 'Does Counter-Terrorism Work?,' he illustrates how we can identify broader intuitions about what works well, and what doesn’t.

Richard English is Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice at Queen's University Belfast. His books include 'Does Terrorism Work? A History' (2016), and 'The Oxford Handbook of Terrorism' (co-edited, 2019). He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, an Honorary Fellow of Keble College Oxford, a Faculty Affiliate at the University of Chicago, and an Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews. In 2018 he was awarded a CBE for services to the understanding of modern-day terrorism and political history. 

Learn more about 'Does Counter-Terrorism Work?' here: https://oxford.ly/3XN6LJX

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3bw0D6HSgk

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: https://oxford.ly/3VGGhZw

© Oxford University Press

Richard English on the Effectiveness of Counter-Terrorism - Episode 43 - The Side Comment

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney, this week with special guests Brian Lloyd and Deirdre Molumby, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

A year after assuming the identity of Batman, Bruce Wayne has all but demolished organised crime in Gotham. Believing that he can retire and hand over the mantle of the city's protector to District Attorney Harvey Dent, Bruce fails to understand that in the mob's desperation they have turned to the most unlike of allies: a mysterious urban terrorist known only as the Joker.

At time of recording, it was ranked 3rd on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

392. The Dark Knight - Batman Day 2024 (#3)

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer (Ret.) saw it all as an intelligence operative during his decades of service in military intelligence throughout the ongoing War on Terror.  Shaffer participated in Able Danger, an initiative which identified key players in the 911 attacks prior to that fateful day.  In Afghanistan, Shaffer’s efforts to root out terrorists in neighboring Pakistan—where Osama bin Laden was ultimately found--were squelched by higher-ups.  His work is recounted in his explosive NY Times bestseller, “Operation Dark Heart,” which raised the ire of the Department of Defense.  In this episode of The Crusher, Shaffer leads Susan and Josh through the last 30+ years of confronting terror.  From the 1993 World Trade Center, to al Qaeda’s embassy and warship bombings, to the Taliban and beyond, the Bronze Star recipient gives us an inside look behind the lines. On a lighter note, Tony offers a very special Tribute to Stupidity!  Subscribe and share The Crusher Podcast!  @crusherpodcast on Rumble, YouTube, and X.

Episode 49 -  Guest Tony Shaffer - The War on Terror and the Heart of Darkness

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It's this week we're doing an episode about a war most people can't find on a map, we're doing The Outpost which is about an American outpost in Afghanistan. This week we're watching 2020's The Outpost. This movie stars Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones and was directed by Rod Lurie! Come join us as we talk all about Keating Outpost and their fight for survival in Afghanistan!

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Episode #139: The Outpost

In this episode, I talk with Marc Fitzwater (@i68consultinggroup)—former Army Green Beret, JTAC, and teammate of my brother Mark Forester. Marc shares what it was like serving alongside Mark in combat, the bonds formed with the guys from ODA 7212, the intense responsibility of calling in air support, and how those experiences shaped his life and leadership. Additionally, he talks about the day Mark and Calvin Harrison were killed on the battlefield in 2010. Now the founder of I68 Consulting Group, Marc helps others live with purpose, drawing from the same principles that guided him in Special Forces. This episode is a powerful mix of brotherhood, sacrifice, and living a mission-driven life.

Related episodes:

Ep 60: ODA Team Captain Wes Wilson

Ep 31: Teammate George Earhart, TACP

Copyright 2025 Thad Forester
http://www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

Ep 121 | Marc Fitzwater - Army JTAC, I68 Consulting Group

We break down the accuracy of historical movies, historical people and events, all while cracking jokes along the way.

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Imagine a bunch of veterans sitting around a living room with their favorite adult beverage and someone brings up a topic that takes the conversation down a rabbit hole. That's our show. Grab a chair and your favorite beverage and join in on an awesome topic. Our hosts are military veterans and our guests are real people with a message to share. Real Talk. Real People. (aka Mentors4Mil)

Patriot to the Core highlights selfless Americans.  I interview those from all branches of the military (combat controllers, PJs, Green Berets, SEALs, Rangers, Infantrymen, Marines, Pilots, etc) and the US government.  In addition, I speak with your every day mom who goes about doing good--from starting a non-profit to fighting for freedom in our communities and schools.  I get to talk with Gold Star Parents, Siblings and Spouses, and Medal of Honor recipients.  

This provides an opportunity to learn about everyday Americans who go above and beyond to protect us and to help others.  As a Gold Star brother, many of my guests have a military connection, but I still have a wide variety of people who answer the call to serve in various ways.  

We talk fighting terrorism, self protection, exercise, mental toughness, charity, parenting, fugitives and occasionally pop culture and politics.     

Please follow and subscribe so we can have many seasons to come.  Send suggestions and questions to me at thad@patriottothecore.com.  Hope you enjoy!

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