The Independent Riot

John Whitehead is one of the nation's premier civil liberties lawyers, a passionate orator, and president of The Rutherford Institute (www.rutherford.org). He's also the author of several fantastic books, two of which are: Battlefield America: The War on the American People and A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State Today, we're lucky to have John come on the show to talk about his tireless work through the past several decades as he tries to wake all Americans up to...

If you’ve ever watched the hit television show The Americans, you’ve probably been simultaneously terrified and mesmerized by the concept that a hostile foreign government could successfully plant undercover spies into your friends, your neighbors, your family. Well, it doesn't just make great fiction, it's proven fact. Jack Barsky is a former KGB spy from the "Soviet illegals" program. Under orders and training from the most clandestine division of Russian intelligence, Jack left East...

In today's Deep Dive Jim and Freddy discuss what they learned from the past two interviews. Matt Lewis on The Sinking of the Sudar Havid and Geoffrey Cain on China's Surveillance State. In their discussion of these episodes, Jim and Freddy weave through such important topics as the horrors of being on a tiny life boat in a massive storm, and if you'd rather be trapped underwater and eaten alive by sharks, or die waking up in a collapsed sink-hole in the middle of the night. (The answer is...

From George Orwell's 1984, to the movie Minority Report, there are countless fictional warnings showing those in power snuffing out the average person's free will through the use of surveillance, advanced technology, and pitting innocent citizens against one another. Welp, investigate journalist Geoffrey Cain has discovered the future is already here! (Interview Begins at 15:30) Geoff Cain's new book, The Perfect Police State, details how the Chinese Communist Party is already operating...

An ancient mariner’s warning against ships traveling south of the 40th parallel states, “in the roaring 40s, there is no law; in the furious 50s, there is no God!" Today's guest, author Matt Lewis, is going to tell us the harrowing true tale of his book Last Man Off, which proves the whaler's warning accurate by describing how nearly half the crew of the doomed ship he was on, the Suddar Havid, never returned north of the 40th parallel again. (Interview Starts at 5:10) The Southern Ocean,...

On his death bed in 347 BC, famed Greek philosopher Plato was rumored to have declared that all of life's mysterious could be solved by answering just a single question... "would you rather be eaten alive by DARPA-created robotic wolf-dogs, or gang-stalked by an unknown private-military contractor until driven penniless and insane?" Luckily, on today's deep dive episode, Jim and Freddy answer this classic quandary to solve the meaning of your existence (you're welcome). They also discuss...

Robert Guffey is a well-respected author, researcher, professor, and lecturer at California State University--Long Beach. And today he's going to tell you a completely bonkers and mostly true story, as far as he can deduce, of what happened to an innocent citizen who got on the wrong side of some top-secret military contractors in the early 2000s. The true account of "Chameleo" involves stolen military technology so advanced you would think it only exists in science fiction, spies, abuses...

Who are the bad guys, and what the hell do they want!?!? On today's show Jim welcomes the man, the myth, the legend himself, James Corbett, to give a quick overview of his basic worldview, and clarify his beliefs on if there are any nefarious people out in the world actually conspiring to harm you.... (spoiler alert, the answer is "yes!") www.corbettreport.com (Interview Starts at 4:38) James Corbett could easily be considered the god-father of alternative theories to world history and...

The date of January 6th is becoming yet another litmus-test topic of loyalty for the red and blue teams in America. Like vaccine mandates, the subject is pushing everyone into zombified Democratic or Republican parroting, while shutting down reasonable debate, or discussion about what the long-term ramifications might be. Was January 6th 2020 a horrifying, nearly-successful insurrection, organized by a group of murderous white-supremisists? Or, were the disturbing events from that day...

The idea of a “deep state” in American government has become a hot topic in recent years, but does it actually exist? And is it good, or bad? Today's expert guest, Prof. Michael J Glennon, is possibly the best person on the planet to help us figure out the truth. In this interview, Prof. Glennon explains his book, "National Security and Double Government." Amongst other topics, he discusses how the reality of a "double government" of the national security complex intersects with the more...

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the stuff of legend. On the one hand, they're often portrayed as heroic Mission Impossible or James Bond saviors of democracy. On the other, they've been accused of orchestrating violent governmental coups, assassinations, torture, and mind-control experiments, sometimes on their own citizens. They're definitely America's oldest and most powerful intelligence unit, but is the CIA a force for good in the world, or the dark weaver of...

This is a deep dive discussion with Freddy "F Cat" Turner about the Military-Industrial Complex. Learn about the military-industrial complex's history, how it works, and what its implications are for the world. (Discussion starts at 5:40) You can then also listen to Independent Riot Episode 7 "Exposing the Military-Industrial Complex" for an even more in depth and serious discussion about the subject with author and activist Maj. Danny Sjursen. In this free-wheeling talk between Jim and...

In this return of the show, Jim welcomes co-host Freddy "F-Cat" Turner into the mix with a couple beers and a deep dive discussion on a litany of topics, including: Support the show

The ever-increasing battle over free speech is becoming a powerful dividing line for Americans. Is anyone allowed to say anything? Or are there certain words and ideas too dangerous to ever be uttered? If you've ever wondered about the concept of free speech in modern America, this is great discussion to listen to. Adam Goldstein is the Senior Research Counsel to the President of the non-profit Freedom of Individual Rights in Education or FIRE. FIRE is a non-partisan organization fighting...

This is a really interesting discussion with the founder of the new social media app 4B. Amir Sheikh is attempting to create a space for civil disagreement, fact-based debate, and logical discussion in social media. His new app, 4B, helps people engage over controversial topics, but with a goal of finding truth and common ground. In his discussion with Jim, Amir talks about where modern media is going wrong, free speech vs. censorship, and the evolution of the internet. Listen in for new...

Today’s episode is all about solutions. We talk with Executive Director of the Institute of Political Innovation (IPI), Solomon Lieberman, about what cross-partisan “politics industry theory” reform is, and how it can help us move into a better era of American politics. “Politics industry theory” was first formulated by Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter as they attempted to pinpoint objective, unbiased reasons why American government was failing. What they found was that our political...

***Warning: This episode covers subject matter which some may find disturbing*** Long woven into pro-Trump conspiracies like Qanon, is there any actual truth behind claims that multitudes of Chinese citizens are being unjustly imprisoned and then murdered in order for the Chinese Communist Party to sell their organs on something called the "red market?" Today's guest is Mitchell Gerber, an activist fighting to raise the world's awareness of the desperate plight of the Falun Gong spiritual...

Listen to this quick discussion with "The Good Party" (thegoodparty.org) founder Farhad Mohit as he explains all the ways their innovative technology hopes to bring democratic power back to the people. Farhad Mohit is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, and has been involved in the creation of several successful tech start-ups including Bizrate, Shopzilla, and Flipagram, which went on to become the massively impactful TikTok. Now, though, Farhad is determined to save American...

This is a fascinating discussion with Maj. Danny Sjursen on what the concept of patriotism should be, as well as a deep-dive explanation on what the military-industrial complex is. Maj. Sjursen is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, a West Point military-historian, author, speaker, and now prominent anti-war activist. He talks about his experiences in Iraq, as well as about his new book "Patriotic Dissent," which re-examines what the concept of patriotism should be in a modern America...

Marc Clair is the host of one of the longest running, and most popular, Libertarian podcasts in the country. Jim and Marc have a great discussion about what Libertarianism is, whether Trump was a libertarian or not, and what the future of "liberty" is within an increasingly rigged political system. Whether you're on the right, the left, or politically homeless, listen in for some laughs, and great non-partisan insight. And please consider supporting Marc's work, and this show, through the...