Crossing The Abyss: A Conversation with Stanley McChrystal and Chris Fussell (Episode

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with General Stanley McChrystal and Chris Fussell about the radicalization of the far Right under Trump.
Released: January 17, 2021
SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe
Subscribe to the YT channel: kzbin.info_c...
Follow Making Sense on Twitter: / makingsensehq
Follow Sam on Facebook: / samharrisorg
Follow Sam on Instagram: / samharrisorg
For more information about Sam Harris: www.samharris.org

[@lexvstee]

Every time I hear something about a book being a 'new york times best seller' I wonder a little more just how prestigious such an award really is.

[@peterhardie4151]

Hahahaha. That is great. I guess its a little like being the number 1 rated pop song, winning an Oscar, etc etc. Mass appeal does not equal quality.

[@mojoman2001]

@@peterhardie4151 -- yes. It's analogous to a gold record -- defined by sales.

[@Shankabottomus]

Not a big fan of the free market? All jokes aside, I'm sure you could easily be a New York Times best seller if you really put your mind to it, right?

[@JimTheCurator]

55 likes? This comment is now a New York Times bestseller.

[@mdb9933]

It about as prestigious as an Emmy award going to a governor who let covid infected patients into retirement facilities

[@DocDanTheGuitarMan]

Come on now. This did not require out the box thinking. The Capitol attack was on the internet and social media. US intelligence failed to even think inside the box.

[@26michaeluk]

I know right? They were broadcasting this at least a week before this happened all over the internet.

[@paaaaaaaaq]

It's almost like they let it happen...

[@johnnymatias3027]

As literally public information. On top of that, the FBI has admitted they saw chatter about threatened violence leading up to it.

[@christophercochrane874]

@@paaaaaaaaq not almost, they did. Several different agencies warned about the likelihood of violence.

[@paaaaaaaaq]

@@christophercochrane874 Well, the result of the action is bright as day. Green light for massive political censorship.

[@paulkossak7761]

Did he say " the Germans had a bad experience with fascism" maybe the biggest understatement I've ever heard.

[@iamFegor]

And the cow had a bad experience with a stake knife Understatement....

[@martinb4272]

An understatement I think he was very well aware of. One of the reasons I listen to Sam's podcasts is exactly this dryness. He rarely, if ever, makes a joke - however his understatements and dryness often contains the potential for dark humour. Not that I think that was his intent in this case.

[@paxonearth]

I'd say that the Jews in Europe had a much worse "experience with fascism" than the Germans did.

[@jewlovergibson2944]

@@paxonearth while you're not wrong having nearly all of your cities razed to the ground and essentially losing an entire generation of young men doesn't exactly constitute doing well for yourself either.

[@jewlovergibson2944]

@P1 Styles there was no way for the axis powers to claim victory in ww2. Once the USA was involved the outcome was written in stone. There was simply no way to destroy the american production centers in Detroit for example, while combined with the royal navy the allies could hit the axis where it mattered most. Time was the only question.

[@andrewness2641]

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say"

[@billyb6001]

I fear what trump might say

[@spacetoast7783]

Yes, I'm glad you agree that Trump and Qultists are making false statements that are dangerous to a functional democracy. Its a valid concern about what they say.

[@jogreeen]

bye bye Orangeman. LOL

[@HorusHerotic]

@@jogreeen bye bye America. Trump was a puppet like the rest. The Dems created him. He acted a moron. They get more power ALL Americans LOOSE.

[@MrCmon113]

And that he can't write.

[@convictednotconvinced]

Here in Minneapolis the police showed great restraint during last summers BLM riots. They abandoned an entire precinct and allowed it to be set on fire.

[@09BiGDylan]

That wasn't the decision of police. That was a decision of the mayor based on the level of preparedness they had.

[@tuntejaable]

Well maybe its because, that same government executed a man in broad daylight....

[@convictednotconvinced]

@@tuntejaable The government did not execute a man in daylight, Derek Chauvin did. Our government here is pretty left...in general.

[@tuntejaable]

@@convictednotconvinced He was hired by the government to enforce laws set by the government. So he is government. So again government executed a man. Like they have done thousands times before. People were fed up and got angrier than government was expecting. In order to not make the situation worst they gave some short term concessions. Now government is doing the same thing again...

[@convictednotconvinced]

@@tuntejaable That's a very simplified view. Under current MN law murder, execution or whatever is illegal and Derek Chauvin is currently awaiting his murder trial.

[@posieglom3215]

i think we need to discuss how financially crippled the average person is, and the mental health toll that takes on people. This has been growing since the 1970s, as salaries have not kept up with cost of living, growing further and further from it, and avenues to accumulate debt have become mainstream and common. This is now compounded by COVID. I think it's possible that the vast majority of these people are in deep pain over lack of control over their daily life and financial stability, and this is their way of coping with feelings of utter helplessness. This is also reflected in the rising suicide rates, as well as the rise in chemical addiction. Clinical depression and anxiety disorders not only cause near-incapacitating pain, but may manifest in anger management issues and include side effects like paranoia and delusion--all possible explanations for this trend. Simple therapy and antidepressants can help to a point (and this crowd would tend to reject that), but even these practical aids will not dig someone out of the agony of being in financial ruin. This is why empathy may be required to turn this all around, rather than the anger we are seeing on both sides. I know The Atlantic just ran a piece saying that these folks are not all low-income and low-education, but I'm not buying that, as far as the majority of this movement.

[@ashtonhicks2514]

Excellent point!

[@parabob2359]

I agree. A book i found useful in understanding the economic basis for populism is Angrynomics, by Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth. Blyth is an economist at Brown and has plenty of podcast apoearances.

[@christopher3287]

And yet a lot of the people who stormed the capital FLEW IN for the day. The poor people were not storming the capital in their tactical military like gear, decked out with Trump merch and flags....not the poor needy uneducated Republicans you're picturing

[@posieglom3215]

@@christopher3287 I think that's true, but I think that's because those storming the Capitol were the people with the ability to go (and not miss work, kids, able to obtain transport and lodgings). They were the absolute fringe, motivated to act illegally, etc. I was referring to the vast majority of people who believe the way-out claims. I guess it's important to differentiate.

[@sobriquet5016]

Absolutely. Anyone wanting to read more about these kinds of issues should definitely consider reading 'The Spirit Level' by R. Wilkinson and K. Pickett.

[@aaoppe]

What’s the image of a rabid Theo Von doing in the thumbnail? :D

[@jasonr1150gs]

Dunno but it’s perfect

[@aaronsmyth7943]

Slobberdan Milosevich

[@DanHowardMtl]

That's Sam.

[@77Avadon77]

Try to make white people look bad probably

[@jaxstax2406]

@@77Avadon77 rofl what?

[@brit69]

All these intellectuals are really, really underestimating how hostile a lot of Americans feel towards Congress and government in general. Not saying I am glad or that I approve of the sentiment. Just saying.

[@icemachine79]

Because they've been whipped up into a frenzy by populist GOP con-artists for decades. Grifters like Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Michele Bachmann, and culminating with the ultimate sleazeball Donald Trump have lied to them for so long that they've lost touch with reality.

[@nad1ax2]

Stop being dishonest, this happened for a very unambiguous reason, the rioters were decidedly acting upon false information purported by a sitting president and one which is part of the biggest and most vicious disinformation campaign in Modern American political history It took 1 man and his sycophants to perceptibly destroy the social fabric of the greatest country in the world. This can only mean one thing -- that our society isn't sustained by laws and statutes, but by norms. And by the core decency of the people that preside over us

[@nad1ax2]

​@@Traveling_Trefs Pat Buchanan is by all accounts, a far-right paleoconservative American firebrand and a literal apologist for Francisco Franco, Mussolini and Oswald Mosley. Trump himself had called Pat a "Hitler-lover", not long ago kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWmVmYqhia94fcU And while Buchanan still endorsed Trump in 2016, 5 years later, he acknowledges that Donald J. Trump has no moral character and his sociopathy is directly responsible for what is happening So, acknowledging a plain and simple truth, which is that Donald J. Trump is a sociopathic goon who should never have been elected to office doesn't have to be rooted in one's ideology

[@jasonleonard9776]

@@nad1ax2 yes it was all Trump. Which is why it has happened independently in every single Western country in the world. You are wrong, propagandised, and eerily proud of it.

[@icemachine79]

@@jasonleonard9776 In America, it _was_ Trump. Why are you so desperate to pretend otherwise? That's the real TDS at play here.

[@stillholding4975]

"a Lionel Messi bicycle kick into the wrong goal"...🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@mikek9297]

As entertaining as it was... I for one believe that's wrong. If anything the rioters finally had the right idea, in fact BLM protesters and antifa should have stormed the fucking Capitol themselves instead of burning shops owned by moms and pops in their own neighborhoods. It has always been the problem - even our dreams are small.

[@xedasxedas]

I would go so far to say he was racist and profundly ignorant of reality.

[@mikek9297]

@@xedasxedas Which is to say... nothing of substance really.

[@xedasxedas]

@@mikek9297 i wished that "wisdom" would had been used to all Trump's dum interventions (specially the tweets).

[@mikek9297]

@@xedasxedas Well, Trumps gone now - out of the office, banned from Twitter and all the other big platforms. You can have your brunch now.

[@X-fu]

Army general: "Hey, remember how we spent 40 years in regime change wars in the Middle East that destabilised the whole region and created Al-Qaeda and ISIS? Let's use the same tactics on US citizens!"

[@vandalcreed]

Remember how walls want to keep things you value safe? Trump builds a wall around the US The politicians build one around the capitol building. Speaks volumes really.

[@johnnyyork3796]

Amazing how fast the government can get walls put up when it's the ruling class that wants protection, versus small towns on the border.

[@derekjohnson6527]

Fucking rich right? Tucker Carlson was talking shit about him tonight, possibly for the comments on this podcast

[@X-fu]

@@derekjohnson6527 Yikes! I hereby state that I intended no criticism towards general McChrystal, I don't want to die in a car crash under strange circumstances like some of his other critics!

[@derekjohnson6527]

Ha fuck that! I just read this piece by Glenn greenwald he puts it much more eloquently than I do: greenwald.substack.com/p/the-new-domestic-war-on-terror-is?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY5NjYyMSwicG9zdF9pZCI6MzE2MzY3MDIsIl8iOiJxRGN5OCIsImlhdCI6MTYxMTEzNzM0NywiZXhwIjoxNjExMTQwOTQ3LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMTI4NjYyIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.fTLyRZbQJ_6-9uHvY4NE-UyDjtT7l-Qxu6VBb4NY7-o

[@illuddivinus3309]

That thumbnail with that intro music 100% savage lol 😂

[@smarterthanyou2255]

Zombie movie lol

[@sethrichnietzsche]

That is exactly what the common people said, in Germany, some decades ago. So it goes.

[@FocusProj]

At least the comments section is open. Thank you Sam.

[@FocusProj]

@vctjkhme whenever I check news, I jump to the comments section before reading all the article. The gap is abysmal sometimes.

[@vykintasmorkvenas6839]

Every time I hear people saying prudent things like those that today's guests have said to Sam I reignite hope in my heart for a rebirth of wisdom in US and in all humanity as well.

[@BhutanBluePoppy]

Vykintas M...yes, these are the first guests on Sam's show who are able to be critical of Trump without descending into irrationality or "motivated reasoning". That is refreshing.

[@GeraldineLancaster]

"Kicked themselves loose of the Earth", is a great saying

[@keithhunt5328]

It's from Heart of darkness

[@tomcotter4299]

How can you support anti-discrimination laws, on the grounds that the discrimination is so ubiquitous that it's unavoidable, while still believing coordinated discrimination to snuff out an entire social media platform is okay?

[@helenachase5627]

Thank you for pointing that out

[@annaturba]

If the social media platform is violating rules about not promoting violence, it should be shut down.

[@tomcotter4299]

@@annaturba Parler doesn't promote anything. It's merely a platform, as you said. If we applied the same standards that were applied to Parler to Apple, Google, and Amazon then all three of them would have to be shut down. All three have provided a platform to people that have committed acts of violence.

[@tomcotter4299]

@Jim Are you whating me?

[@elliotklein6331]

Anti-discrimination laws, such as the Civil Rights Act and other similar state laws regulate discrimination based on protected class. The exact definitions for protected class vary by jurisdiction, but generally it includes ones race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, etc. - not political ideology (with the exception of Washington DC, where this is a protected class). The idea behind this is that immutable aspects like the colour of someone's skin or their age are not a choice, it's how they are, while ideology is a set of beliefs you choose to subscribe to or align with. In terms of Parler, they were a platform whereby people were able to engage in coordinating and planning violent attacks that were nearly carried out, or at least carried out in-part. As a service provider (Amazon Web Services) you are absolutely allowed to cancel your services to a customer who is using them for something against your Terms of Service. To address your analogy, if Google, Amazon or Apple were using another company's services and that company found that actions on Google, Amazon, or Apple's platforms were against their terms of service then they too could be dropped from that company's service provision. Thing is they all have their own servers and work for themselves, so they answer to nobody... The bigger debate here should be whether or not it's right that these tech giants have a monopoly over web hosting infrastructure, such that 3 companies or so denying service to one can sweep that company under the rug, but yet nobody can do that to them. Right now Section 230 allows these companies no responsibility or liability in the eyes of the law for the content they platform, perhaps this is something that should change? Who knows.

[@markstewart7002]

I wish these podcasts had clips and you could see them talking

[@mojoman2001]

Isn't that kinda the key distinctive feature of podcasts?

[@EnterHacker]

Ya

[@EnterHacker]

@@mojoman2001 not necessarily

[@Pieman29666]

@@mojoman2001 this is like the only podcast with no video that i follow...

[@user-tl4fi6oy8d]

I wish it had video so I could see how Sam looks when he says, "This is Sam Harris............ Ooookay..."

[@paulsontag9233]

"A Lionel Messi style bicycle kick...into his own goal" !!

[@calbaffetimbi148]

You gotta allow him he is American

[@lautaronis7697]

i was looking for this in the coments, he said Lino Messi hahaha. Good chat anyways, Sam.

[@chukwuemekaigbani7070]

Sam knows Messi cool

[@phantomopera5525]

As a supporter of Athletic de Bilbao, which just beat Barca to win Spain’s Supercup, that made me laugh more than it probably was appropriate.

[@MrSidney9]

Lol quite graphic analogy

[@gregridd]

firmer online restrictions and re education centers. sounds familiar

[@plaguex1]

Yup. I've seen movies about this. Schindler's List was one.

[@TheMientiao]

The Weinsteins made a good point about the motivations and repercussions of people identifying their enemies as terrorists.

[@stevenoverlord]

Stanley mcrystal only knows how to create enemies to justify military action. This propaganda serves a purpose

[@texasd1385]

There's nothing wrong with calling terrorists terrorists, trying to ignore a terrorist attack that everyone on earth witnessed live in real time or pretend it didn't happen is insane

[@frankmaitland2569]

Sam did you see the police presence in Seattle C'MON man

[@Kaddywompous]

What’s your point?

[@MawcDrums]

@@Kaddywompous The point is that this shit was plastered all over the internet for weeks before it happened, and they had like 50 cops there.

[@frankmaitland2569]

@@Kaddywompous My point is specific to what he was saying at a particular point. But I think he downplayed why there was not enough police on duty . Anyone with eyes could see the militarized military police response . Sam does this housecleaning metaphor to explain away legitimate criticism of his positions

[@soma27]

The police presence that let a small area of a city be taken over and shit being set on fire and violence every night? Some areas had a huge police presence, some had very limited

[@Muonium1]

WTF is going on in that thumbnail bro??? was there a boogaloo bukakke sesh at the Capitol raid I missed?

[@thereisnosanctuary6184]

LoL

[@marshalldillon8697]

Boogaloo bukkae wtf lol 😂

[@johnboettcher1962]

You have done harm with that comment.

[@davidberry8808]

😂🤣😂🤣👏👏

[@77Avadon77]

😂😂😂😂🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆

[@hateeternalmaver]

You especially should know about the psychology of crowds and how easily they can be steered and manipulated regardless of the original intention.

[@gilianrampart8514]

Seems to me they are ignoring alot just to push a narrative! A righteous narrative? I dont know.

[@timon20061995]

@Jasta 2 That's like saying why worry about any US problem when some African kid can't ever have clear water.

[@MechanicalMooCow]

Please mister psychology, teach us your learned ways

[@deathtoamericaallahakhbarm2471]

Lets steer the useless sheep into glorious Jihad

[@deathtoamericaallahakhbarm2471]

@Jasta 2 Sam seems to be slow on some topics, mainly those that don't favor his sensitive soft minded socialist followers who think they're smart, primarily his donors, gotta have the cheese flow.

[@lumeronswift]

The idea that "maybe they are pro-cop" is never a reason to reduce police numbers. Crowds do not have the same sensibilities as individuals, and history is absolutely cluttered with crowds devolving into mobs. Even crowds starting out with anti-violent goals in mind (such as with Ghandi) can devolve quickly.

[@henrylicious]

Gustav LeBonn wrote a great book on this.

[@yoyo-lf3ld]

the reason there weren't cops there is because the right has never been violent like this.

[@alfredogonzalez8735]

Surely you know he was talking descriptively, not prescriptively

[@alfredogonzalez8735]

@@yoyo-lf3ld except last time at Charlottesville and New Zealand

[@christopher3287]

@@yoyo-lf3ld 🤣🤣

[@Ton369]

This whole conversation is of 2 guys (who spent their career herding prisoners in a desert country that we should have never been in), talking about how to defeat right wing conversations by using the government to de-platform people practicing the constitutional right to freedom of speech. I'm sure their strategy works great in the desert. But this is America jack.

[@Skeptique]

It's shocking isn't it?

[@semarugaijin9451]

It actually didn't work too well in the desert either, the fact that Sam is propping up 2 neo-con mass murders, who attempted to "re-educate" and "de-radicalize" the Muslim world by bombing them, slaughtering them and forcing them into re-education camps..... as a model for what we should do to conservatives in this country.

[@jasonb.9167]

Great point, I got about half way through and only looked at the comments to see if anyone else picked up on how they are talking about republicans, conservatives, and pro 2nd amendment folks as if they are the taliban... Scary stuff, they are kinda validating the concerns of the right...

[@Amandth89]

2020 the pandemic 2021 the war

[@littlehandsgivescovfefe4837]

You’re clearly not listening and actually making his point. Because you’re already unable to separate you’re allegiance to right wing conservatism and hear rationally about some followers who are willing to use violence for a movement/ideology that is attempting to usurp the rights of the majority of American in a free and fair election. The more right wingers cling to that without an introspective reflection and dig in their heels the more likely you create no peaceful Avenue except violence. Are deluded retired mail vets beheading people yet? No, but neither were they in Iraq in 03..yet. Lieutenant gov of Texas and Glenn beck disgustingly saying they will sacrifice for them on the alter of the Wall Street gods and don’t follow through because they were full of shit, gets far closer to the paradigm of nihilistic violence. The temp is raised, then you justify action for violence the same way vs Shia and Sunni. ‘We love death more the. You love life.’ That’s what IsIS said as the big dog in 2014. This is the natural evolution of extremism, just cuz they have Arabic names doesn’t mean the same shit can’t devolve back home. We’ve had Waco and Oklahoma City. This is pretty simple non-partisan but you’re refusal to even try to understand or suspend you’re own political temperament for a min shows scarily how much more likely things can become similar.

[@GhostJist]

Sam, this is over an hour of comparisons between Al Qaeda and domestic populations. And at no point did it occur to you that maybe that comparison is a bit extreme.

[@TheCorrectionist1984]

Just started listening. But right away i know one thing in common is extremist views attract people who actually experience the oppression they are fighting against less than most or not at all. This is a general proposition but borne out by the data. Many successful professionals in the insurrection. Many successful professionals carry out atrocities in behalf terrorist orgs. It's not a race or religion thing. It's a human nature thing.

[@finalfrontier001]

its actually is similar.

[@callmedeno]

BuT MuRHH InnnSURrRReCtiiiOnNN

[@midnightshade32]

Tds has him not seeing things rationally

[@omarihoward8168]

See Tulsa, Oklahoma massacre.

[@GG-cr5hm]

Shutting down these people's apps and accounts instead of holding public debate about their ideas is a bad idea and just drives them underground even more and emboldens and confirms their views.

[@mojoman2001]

You cannot debate nonsense like QAnon or Stop The Steal. Ridicule is the appropriate response.

[@christopher3287]

You can't debate their conspiracy, all evidence that is provided contrary to their beliefs is just discounted as bogus. They use lies to get what they want...fuck'em

[@christopher3287]

@Michael Hart who does the educating? How do they reach all of the different populations? These conspiracies are being mostly created and spread online, how do you tackle that? Social media is the number one culprit of how these things spread and they're designed to sell shit and show people what they want to see. Seeing the issues here?

[@tsujen]

You honestly think they will debate in good-faith? Debate is good for some things, but not for talking someone how of their self-inflicted dogmas.

[@baileybartley2463]

Look at the losers who think you cant debate ideas

[@travisstotts1107]

I cant believe some of the things said in this podcast. Lets use more power to suppress speech. At what point does the constitution mean anything.

[@bellezavudd]

The 1st amendment doesnt protect fraud or speech that incites immenent lawless action. Perhaps thats their angle. Plus one of the guests does say that some solutions are temporary fixes that dont respect civil rights yet mat be necessary so the two sides don't destroy each other.

[@travisstotts1107]

@@bellezavudd who determines what speech incites lawless acts or violence?? And were does it give exception to freedom of speech. Taking down the extreme end of 1 party is not going to help at all. Its just going to make the silenced more sure of their convictions an encourage them to double down. Maybe if they also took down the extremist on the other side i would agree on it being effective. but still not agree on the constitutionality of such measures. We need open dialog and conversation. The dems should have been way more open to the investigation of ballots from the beginning and put the conspiracy to rest with the facts. But they were extremely combative and dismissive to the accusations and that only added an gave fuel to the conspiracy.

[@bellezavudd]

@@travisstotts1107 If anyone knew the proper course to take we prpbably wouldnt be in this situation in the first place. Though it would benifit any Trumper to consider his actions before he was President. He called his 1st election fraudulent, even though he won. He also previously called every law suit against his business fake news. Any lawsuits he lost ( quite a few ) were also decried as fraudulent by him. Seeing his pattern ? Why do you think that is? If you really think trump is the 'mostest honestest' person alive and that he and only he can save civilization , as he and his followers claim, well I've nothing to add.

[@kypdurron62]

That's a bit rich considering people were about 60 seconds and 100 feet away from tossing the Constitution under the bus about two weeks ago.

[@samwise1790]

@Pitch everything you said is naught but the kind of shit you'd expect to hear in a freshman dorm after a joint has been passed around masquerading as profound thought. It makes zero sense you have wanted trump for 4-8 years in either the short or long term for the democrat base or leadership.

[@chojinnppp]

Protestors organize in-real-time on FB and Twitter, so we need to cancel Parler and Gab...this is the Making Sense Podcast.

[@jeffdickerson19861]

A-woman!

[@kypdurron62]

Freedom of speech ends at insurrection. These idiots can find places to push it, but you can't demand companies carry it. The data shows that removing this garbage decreases its presence. We live in a world where people don't fact check their beliefs and calibrate their information sources accordingly. That's not tenable.

[@vandalcreed]

@@kypdurron62 lolol yeeeh how long did this so called "insurrection" last? 4 hours? Did they actually take over the capitol building or did they leave peacefully? Speaking of ideologies, a wall represents that you want to keep something safe and protected Trump built a wall around the US. The politicians built a wall around the capitol building.

[@kypdurron62]

@@vandalcreed Most failed insurrections are pretty fast. It sort of goes along with the whole 'failed' thing.

[@kypdurron62]

@@vandalcreed And Trump only built about 15 miles of actual new wall. The guy is and always has been a joke.

[@royalwins2030]

The guy gargling spit really makes this. 👌

[@myjizzureye]

Thats what your dad said.

[@jamesgreenldn]

Looks like he was pepper sprayed

[@deprogramr]

meme squad! we need to start putting that face into the corner of many other pictures... lol

[@criticalmass527]

He looks like theo von

[@Drew_McTygue]

He may have rabies, and that's not his fault. How bout some empathy bruh?

[@timothyh7053]

I'm politically neutral, so I have no dog in the fight. What I can say is I have enjoyed listening to Sam since the Christopher Hitchens days, especially his more recent conversations with Jordan Peterson and Douglas Murray. In recent years, as his hatred for Trump has grown, I find him to be ever less tolerant of those he disagrees with. Almost as if he has begun to create an echo chamber for himself and his views. Am I alone in this observation? I am open to being corrected if I am mistaken.

[@edmonddantes563]

Yeah I agree, I saw sam live and am a big fan. And I’m certainly no trumper.

[@magoo1950]

No, not a huge Sam fan but I think he has realized there is no middle ground between Qanom and reality.

[@Hvmtech]

The guy in the thumbnail drooling hahaha

[@natc2191]

I consider myself, an intellectual. Conservative by heart but, always interested in hearing other's points of view. Which is why I listen to this show. You covered all my thoughts. You conduct yourself, in such a professional and logical way. I love the show. Thank you sir.

[@Patrick-gf5xg]

Any intellectual Conservative podcasts you recommend Nat. I'm interested in learning more. Thank you.

[@robby3467]

@@Patrick-gf5xg Any intellectual Liberal podcasts you recommend Patrick. I'm interested in learning more. Thank you. :) Frankly, it's difficult finding good podcasts on either side of the divide. Sam Harris was one one of the few on the left whom I considered balanced. The wheels started falling off when Trump won in 2016 due to what many refer to as TDS. I've recently unsubscribed from Liberal and Conservative podcasts due to the woke crap and identity politics on the left and religion, conspiracy crap and the deranged attitude toward the pandemic on the right. They've all lost the plot.

[@jasonleonard9776]

@@Patrick-gf5xganything filmed before 1970

[@olgil]

Sorry to be pedantic but you're claiming to be an intellectual but you don't know how to use commas.

[@Patrick-gf5xg]

@@robby3467 Hiya Robin. I think you've reached the same conclusions I have. And its the amplification of the loony end of both sides that dominates the agenda and makes it difficult to hear more rational ideas and discussion. I'm definitely coming from left leaning liberal perspective but the whole woke revolution and rush to victimhood is impossible to swallow. I like Brett Wenstein, Jordan Peterson, Lex Fridman, Rebel Wisdom and George Carlin! 😀

[@alexkang7360]

59:20 the funniest bit of this podcast by Sam

[@DivineBanana]

Lionel messi style bicycle kick into the wrong goal LMAO IM DEAD

[@yafy.5158]

That picture suddenly popped up in my mind with Messi :D and consequently replaced by Biden doing that goal 🤣

[@belectronix]

Sam you are so articulate in your thoughts, it’s enviable

[@jasoncreamer5747]

The very fact that you have two military men speaking about policing the people as if they were Taliban in Afghanistan means the USA is already a lost cause. Just by the way those policing actions didn't even work in Afghanistan it just slowed down the acceleration of a lost cause.

[@jennamarie2481]

So the one guy says that "when there is violence in an area, whether coalition forces or taliban caused it, it created more violence after it. It created an atmosphere where it was easier for people to be violent" This is exactly what people were saying at the beginning of the George Floyd protests that devolved into riots across the nation. Every action gets an equal and opposite reaction.

[@Stantorr]

39:25 "...to the point that they are ready to do violence." For four years we were told by politicians, pundits and "journalists" that it is a legitimate way to respond to disagreements. Is it really surprising ?

[@jaxstax2406]

@Jasta 2 one is trying to overthrow a democracy the other is trying to put regulations on police abuse. No double standards.

[@Kaddywompous]

That isn’t remotely true.

[@jaxstax2406]

@Jasta 2 what should take its place?

[@DrunkenAussie76]

@@jaxstax2406 Given the italian anti british ww2 propaganda poster Jasta has as a profile pic I would guess an unironic fascist regime...

[@kingfelix3114]

@@jaxstax2406 lol the double standard is that you’re ok with political violence so long as you agree with underlying cause. Sick stuff bro

[@Ultracity6060]

For all of Sam's railing about conspiracy theories, at least some of his understanding of this situation seems to be rooted in conspiracy theories.

[@123mneil]

I wasn't following Sam during the Russian collusion news cycle. Did he call that lies like he calls the election fraud lies?

[@Ultracity6060]

@@123mneil Can't say for sure, but now that you mention it, I don't think he did. Here I thought his views and biases had been shifting, but maybe I'm deluding myself and he's been consistent.

[@nlind5515]

Thank you for taking down the pay wall for this full podcast!

[@robby3467]

I disagree with pretty much everything he says on this topic but like you, I appropriate him opening it up and allowing comments.

[@caparzo54]

What pay wall? All the podcasts are available on any podcasting app.

[@ajv336]

@@robby3467 what particular flavour of extremism have you then bought into, if I may?

[@iwillroam]

@@robby3467 do tell...

[@continuousminer]

Love the Mortal Kombat “toasty!” guy of the Capitol riot.

[@alelectric2767]

Germany had a “bad experience “ with Nazis . That’s putting it mildly.

[@karat-s7330]

LOL

[@sethrichnietzsche]

Yes.

[@scottgreen132]

Putting it mildly is putting it mildy

[@baileybartley2463]

Germany had detention camps for covid rule breakers

[@Varlwyll]

No, Germany had a bad experience with democracy.

[@einsteindarwin8756]

To the Victor goes the spoils. I learned that the hard way. Wish I could go back and erase time.

[@ilashandlove6726]

This probably would of never happened if the Media didn't make the BLM riots we saw all summer long acceptable.

[@KD-rs6xx]

yes yes

[@Metaphix]

Correct. Those months were deranging and infuriating to the right. We were told we can abandon the social contract if something pisses us off enough. Worse, that it works to achieve change.

[@77Avadon77]

Do you think it's just a coincidence that they spent six months riling up black people to bring the country down and giving them billions of dollars in the process and that they would then later infiltrate The vote-counting.

[@jaxstax2406]

@@Metaphix And what atrocities was afflicted onto your side again? Why did you guys storm the capital and kill a police officer by bludgeoning his face in with a fire extinguisher? What kind of legislation did your side want to pass?

[@TMAN-hw8ep]

Yeah I don't about that bud. Quit trying to shift blame on BLM or the media's coverage of the BLM protests. They don't equate, it's just an attempt to distract from the fact that the president of the United States incited a riot/insurrection on one of our 3 branches of government. False equivalencies are never the answer.

[@hvalenti]

Just wanna thank Sam again for his meditation app. In part, it's bc of that content which has allowed me to love those I disagree with, including sometimes him.

[@religionishipocrisy]

We can no longer call this a "peaceful" transfer of power. That ship has sailed. All we can have now is a successful transfer of power.

[@great-garden-watch]

And a long-awaited transfer of power

[@dustinpackard1929]

The fact that people can't gauge corruption blows my mind. We've created a culture of "pics or it didn't happen". That's great, but the thing about criminality and corruption, is that the culprits are trying very hard to not be caught. You are not going to find tons of evidence, and they will make sure there is plausible deniability at every turn. You have to read between the lines....

[@ianocono]

“You are not going to find tons of evidence” - no one found ANY evidence.

[@dustinpackard1929]

@@ianocono it's called circumstantial evidence, which will not hold up in court, which is why nobody calls it "evidence". That's the whole point. But if you are paying any attention at all and can hold more than 2 data points in your head at a time, virtually none of this makes sense. I could probably write a dissertation length paper on all the wonky BS that doesn't make sense.

[@dustinpackard1929]

@@ianocono by your logic, OJ simpson was not guilty bc the courts decided so. Just face it, what holds up in court and what doesn't is obviously irrelevant to what the truth is. But we also don't want to throw out due process. All I'm saying, is don't be a naive sheep.

[@dustinpackard1929]

@@ianocono We have an establishment with virtually no transparency, and then what does leak through the cracks is obfuscated to no ends by the media. And yet, somehow people imagine themselves making calculated decisions and culminating accurate world views, as if they had a complete picture of the data. Truly amazing...

[@ianocono]

@@dustinpackard1929 that’s a lot of replies to unpack lol. How about this, can you link any evidence? Don’t just say “don’t be naive”, show me something concrete. If it’s real, I’ll concede my point.

[@nicknomski8399]

The reason deplatforming is a 'slippery slope' is first, if they were consistent, many more would have to go. Meanwhile many more again, who are merely 'inconvenient' to the powers -- those who spread information, as opposed to misinformation -- would likely be tarred and struck. The Assanges of the world. By that time it's a free-for-all (and that's the least appropriate phrase to use...)

[@chrisose]

If Trump had gotten his way the Section 230 would have been repeal which would let the social media companies be sued for anything on their service. Despite Trump's claims of it being a free speech issue it would have effectively killed all social media overnight as no one in their right mind would want to deal with the legal jeopardy of owning a posting site.

[@myblueheaven86]

Sam "some light housekeeping" Harris

[@runem5429]

Sam cleans his room

[@smarterthanyou2255]

Ookayy

[@77Avadon77]

Light housekeeping equal simping

[@polymathpark]

@@77Avadon77 many of these podcasts he doesn't do this on. Besides, what else can you do to keep your business running in this format, if you're not going the Patreon route?

[@angusjc16]

Lighthouse keeping

[@randafarhat7635]

As an outside non American observer world citizen who have spent a long time in the Middle East , I can say with no grain of doubt that this conversation is the most realistic educational reading of past and present events that led to the riots of the capitol . Thank you for making this episode available to the public.

[@gregmattson2238]

the fact that psyop experts are discussing combating the american right in the same way that they are discussing combating al-qaeda - well, suddenly it struck me that the place that we've found ourselves is SO surreal. just so surreal.

[@whatarewedoingouthere]

I think making those comparisons revealed that they’re either disconnected from reality or simply being disingenuous for political reasons. It’s an absolutely absurd and appalling comparison.

[@baileybartley2463]

When you spend your life fighting ISIS/terrorists, you see it everywhere and think the same solution will work

[@gregmattson2238]

@@baileybartley2463 the problem is I think the metaphor holds here. we have a potentially violent insurrection based off of a personality cult that has the potential to derail our democracy here.

[@baileybartley2463]

@@gregmattson2238 "violent" ? Lmao have you seen the 117 days straight of antifa insurgency on their federal statehouse?

[@gregmattson2238]

@@baileybartley2463 if you can't see the difference between run-of-the-mill protests and trying to overthrow the government by armed insurrection - and possibly liquidate one branch of government in the process - then I really fear for your critical thinking skills. And - as far as I know - no antifa group has actually stormed any offices of government so go ahead and enlighten me with independently verifiable sources.

[@CharlesManuel1]

Guy in the bottom left of the thumbnail just stoked for a new sam harris podcast

[@nicholaskoenig3106]

I laughed out LOUD! ♡♡♡

[@DL-ng8rf]

Does anyone still expect Sam to say "Welcome to the 'Waking Up' podcast"?

[@fergusbyett8088]

I'm just here for the "okaaaayy"

[@DL-ng8rf]

@@fergusbyett8088 Careful now. He might just claim the "okaaaayy" belongs in the Waking Up project and start with something much less expected, like an 'allllrighty then'.

[@gatherfeather3122]

@@DL-ng8rf you give my a much needed smile. Thanks out there!

[@glennmitchell9107]

Police don't shoot people one shot, one kill. Police empty their magazines in single suspects. One shot, one kill, controlled fire, and conserving ammunition are lessons taught to Soldiers.

[@MiaogisTeas]

Sure bud. Day one of police training is "How to mag-dump a black man who was a good father, working two jobs and putting himself through college."

[@franklempka2159]

Yes!

[@iankclark]

A lot of pearl-clutching going on here. The more I listen to Sam I feel his elitist arrogance showing through.

[@iankclark]

@tree down Point taken. I think we all want the nation to succeed but I think Sam's reliance on the wisdom of the establishment is misplaced. The madness happening at both ends of the political spectrum has been manifested by deepening corruption, senescence and conceit in the institutions (the cleptocracy, the deep state, the cathedral - whatever you want to call it). An entrenchment of the 'rational' technocracy of 'experts' will be the death of us all.

[@Ozymandi_as]

Pearl clutching, elitist, arrogance. That's just a list of perjoratives, the rhetorical equivalent of shooting the messenger. SH is worried that a sizeable proportion of the population cleave to beliefs that defy logical explanation - QAnon, Stop the steal, etc - and this is undermining civil discourse to a dangerous extent. If you disagree with him then say why, but just peppering him with adjectives doesn't amount to an argument.

[@nicknomski8399]

As the corruption grows and metasticises, so does the size of the 'fringe' groups across different parts of the spectrum

[@iankclark]

@@nicknomski8399 yes

[@iankclark]

@@Ozymandi_as well first, he is talking to a couple of military technocrats who have done absolutely nothing to advance the cause of humanity other than mouth a bunch of soul-destroying gobbledygook. Sam is so attached to reason and logic that he misses the ‘heart’ of the matter. “Oh these people are deluded”. Yeah when has that not been true?

[@CBfrmcardiff]

Sometimes protests get a massive police reaction. Sometimes they don't. I can think of examples where police were chased through London by BLM protesters, and in every country where cops knelt in front of BLM protesters. In contrast, anti-BLM protesters were treated very roughly in London... On the other hand, anti-globabilisation protesters (left wing types) a decade ago were ruthlessly "kettled" by police here a decade ago, and a passerby was pushed over and killed by a cop. What does this mean? Well, there are complicated currents of political bias, but the main lesson is that the police are risk averse. They wish to avoid the secondary risk of provoking violence, so if possible the policing is minimal. However, above all, they wish to avoid the collapse of order, so, if it's not possible to keep policing minimal then it is total overkill. Hitherto, Trump rallies have been peaceful, so unless counter-protesters intended to arrive, the police had no reason to turn up in force. From now on, peaceful Trump supporters shall no doubt be confronted with rank upon serried rank of bored police officers.

[@26michaeluk]

Trump rallies hadn't always been without violence. Plus these people were broadcasting what they were gonna do weeks before hand.

[@CBfrmcardiff]

@@26michaeluk I confess I haven't been following it that closely, but I noticed that RSBC (the KZbin channel set up specifically I think to broadcast Trump speeches + Trumpster commentary) didn't anticipate a riot. They anticipated speeches on the steps of the Capitol building, and live coverage of the Senate debate. The guy they sent to the Capitol was surprised, initially, to find it unreachable, while the other team walked back from their hotel room, towards the end of the period of disorder, and seemed a bit unsure as to what was happening and why. You would think that if anyone was informed about what was going to happen, it would be them. From my perspective, my first news of these events was pictures of people sat in the seats of Senators, which I found quite amusing, and I only saw the violence afterwards. People are saying that this event has to be characterised in this-way-or-that-way, but I see an event with more than one aspect to it. One of the speakers in this podcast said it was unthinkable that a "crowd would be sent to Congress", which confused me, because in the rest of the world crowds protest outside of legislatures all the time, and I know that occasionally groups of people manage to enter a legislature and disrupt the process. Does this not happen in America? Is it because the Capitol and its grounds are so large that protesters cannot be heard inside unless they are physically on the building itself?

[@elvinimali706]

Good sensible analysis

[@sobriquet5016]

@@CBfrmcardiff Excellent nuance, and I wish I had time to try to match that level of nuanced analysis. However, "hang Mike Pence", "where's nancy?". Chanting of "Fuck the police". This is violence aimed at overturning a fair election. Don't tell me that in other countries mobs of one personality cult enter their legislature to murder the 'other team'.

[@geekylove3603]

@cardiff. How dare you speak in a balanced nuanced manner.

[@thechadeuropeanfederalist893]

The General talked the most sense here. One can tell that he has a lot of experience and wisdom.

[@cullenarthur8879]

Yeah, I thought he was pretty much on point with most of what he said. Voice of reason.

[@John_F_Ketamine]

He was removed by Obama for criticism of the president’s leadership, this isn’t to condemn his/Obama actions but it was a big hoopla during its time, gives more backstory to look up

[@DLH.23]

If its true--I can't say I blame some police officers for being a bit lax in protecting politicians, after being threatened with de-funding for months and constantly being told that you are part of the problem. Politicians made the officers jobs that much more difficult

[@yafy.5158]

Your talks have always been very eye opening and significant but now it is just as important as oxygen for the current situation. Thank you Sam !

[@bw2020]

I can’t roll my eyes anymore.

[@QuixoticIgnotism]

I actually listen to these on the podcast app. I click in youtube and like the video because i hope the algorithm will suggest Sam Harris to more people. It feels like the most important contribution i make to society.

[@livmilesparanormalromanceb6891]

I agree. I like to leave comments even when I have nothing to say, in hopes that it will boost his videos in the algorithm XD;

[@haroldmatias12]

Good thinking. I do this sometimes but I have started doing it more and more recently.

[@matthewgoodman7588]

Hopefully comments on comments help with that too.

[@bigred94643]

Thanks Jack

[@bentray1908]

Chilling

[@mr.sotack6586]

Sam Harris puts more truth into words than anyone else anywhere. Thanks😌

[@johnallen8248]

I'm glad the country is not run by these guys. I can practically hear them licking their lips at the prospect of marshall law. Comparing the conservatives of this country to Al Qaeda is as rediculus as labeling them all racist. This show would have made more sense if the guest just started randomly talking about show dogs after every question.

[@IFYOUWANTITGOGETIT]

"This was a bicycle kick into the wrong goal." lol

[@mattg3026]

But who is LEE-o-nel Messi??

[@taylordixon5871]

Can we get a transcript of this? I'd like to be able to share some of this in text format, especially McCrystal from 37:00 to 39:30 ish

[@roberts3889]

My perspective: the police presence at BLM and Antifa rallies evolved over time to meet the typical behavior exhibited at those rallies. It didn't start out with massive presence. Trump rallies are generally less violent, therefore overwhelming police presence wasn't deemed necessary.

[@ramirogallardo3844]

Did they just ignore that this protest was organized mostly on Facebook and Twitter?

[@timothymiddleton6651]

Yes, what they really wanted is to remove a refuge for those who were deplatformed.

[@sb_dunk]

Maybe I'm trivializing this, maybe Sam says it (I've not finished the episode yet), but... The issue with the bans on Twitter, Amazon etc is not that they're violating the first amendment, it's that they are monopolies / oligopolies. When the "gay cake" fiasco happened, the argument was that you could always go somewhere else. In this case, the only real cloud computing platforms are AWS and Google Cloud. This is where libertarianism really falls apart in my opinion, you can't say you don't want big government but be fine with companies having this level of market share, control and freedom.

[@phantomopera5525]

What’s the name of Gen. Mcchrystal’s podcast, did anyone catch that?

[@sginrummy88]

No Turning Back

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Love these videos but this channel needs a timestamp hero

[@Shiggystardust]

U can take up the mantle

[@BubblegumCrash332]

@@Shiggystardust I'm no hero

[@LividCreature]

He makes you go beyond his paywall for such things

[@Marco-qw2sd]

Rabid Man is our hope

[@ebert8756]

You find some great cover pictures

[@thereisnosanctuary6184]

Any mob, black or white, even police becomes an increasing swarm. This is witnessed in sporting events, not just politics and protest. Strength AND weakness in numbers.

[@marleyjanim5033]

Fasinating

[@whatwherethere]

Reading these comments, I realize I have kicked loose from planet Earth also. There are as many people screaming Pinko Commie as Brown Shirt Fascist. It is mind scrambling. How can we all have such different frames of reference. Is the sky blue? I am not sure, especially if there is a money involved in the answer!

[@sprocket8934]

Sam's episode with Tristan Harris a few months back called "welcome to the cult factory" (I think) has all the answers there from what I can tell.

[@EskiLdn]

@@sprocket8934 Sam isnt a voice worth listening to on the matter anymore, sam is gone imo. I think the divide is so strong now because of media and propaganda

[@whatwherethere]

@@sprocket8934 I listened to Tristan and Yuval Harari podcast today. Yuval seems to have the least encumbered view on the power of narrative or story. If there were answers to be had they escaped to my perception. No fault of the storytellers but this is a very difficult situation we find ourselves in.

[@ScottMaclaren]

if you can name me one unbiased MSM source that reaches the majority of americans, ill give you the answer. Otherwise, you already have it

[@baileybartley2463]

Social media companies curating what will make you stay longer, talking to people who tend to agree with your ideas

[@taylorharper3316]

Anyone else notice the hypocrisy highlighted by this podcast in terms of Sam’s prior religious extremism motives? He has always argued jihadism and terrorism is motivated by a belief in religious doctoring and has rebuked the thought of a nuanced view which includes political and social motives.

[@totesbotes4660]

Listen Dan Carlin and Sam speak. Dan Carlin pokes holes all through Sam's ideas.

[@MrCmon113]

Wrong. He has a nuanced view in opposition to the completely motivated thinking that denies the reality of religious motivation altogether.

[@user-hi3rs9hz9q]

A messi bicycle kick.. into the wrong goal 🤣🤣🤣

[@BigFresh3000]

Anyone have time stamps for topics?

[@thenon-gaapbillionaire3306]

Is this the full conversation?

[@TenaciousP5k]

Yes it is

[@PetriLittlefoot]

Please hire a video editor. You can have some relevant clips and pictures playing throughout your videos. It'd bring your views up by the millions.

[@andybaldman]

He doesn't want 'millions' of views, from the JRE mouthbreathing audience. He knows his audience doesn't come here for video. The audio contains the ideas, and that's what matters.

[@Elcherino123]

Sam is already liberal elite, he doesnt need any neanderthals and cave men watching his streams

[@dingoog1]

I haven’t listen to Sam in awhile because it hasn’t been recommended in my KZbin feed. In the age of memes and emotional outburst on FB it’s good to hear a intelligent sane voice! Thanks Mr Harris!!

[@cab711]

I like to look up images of sams guests online to picture who he is talking too. I dont know why it matters but I seem to enjoy it and I find the person I imagined based on their voice is completely different from what they actually look like.

[@timothymiddleton6651]

Same, I first did that with David Deutsch and was like woohhh!!

[@thedebatemechannel4746]

The only thing I was surprised by is that more people didn't die but that's only because they got lucky. I saw this coming months ago in fact I won my family and gave them specific dates. It was obvious. To the guy saying we could have expected this he wasn't paying attention.

[@Grkgroup2]

Where was the accountability for Congress, who gets donor money, and then serves on committees that are a clear conflict of interest? Where has the accountability been for all of our leaders?

[@mannye21]

Anyone else here General McChrystal go British at 39:48? lol

[@Atomik91400]

59:35 - 1:00:43 is *pure gold*

[@adventureswithjonny87]

Great job general! The middle east wars were a great success and because of that we should listen to what you have to say.

[@msqway11]

i fervrently believe you are correct. 28:00

[@pawel8365]

That thumbnail kills it 😂😂😂

[@Wowwhataswing]

Pretty much sums up how the right is feeling right now lol.

[@toby9999]

It's called cherry picking. Show some vulgar guy while ignoring the thousands of normal folk behaving themselves. Sam is now playing the same divisive game as the mainstream.

[@toby9999]

@@Wowwhataswing I identify with the center-right but not with the far right. I'm not even American but I'm angry. I'm angry at the way folk like me have been vilified by the left for years. Where I live it's tollerable but the divide and the level of leftist derangment is clearly worse and growing in the US. It's like a pressure cooker with the capital riots the first burst of steam from the safety valve. Something has to blow soon... and soon could be very soon if the left continue stoking the flames. The 2nd impeachment is like turning up the heat. Crazy stuff. Looks like Biden's call for healing was ignored by his own side.

[@pawel8365]

@@toby9999 is that you in the pic?? 😂😂😂

[@Wowwhataswing]

@@toby9999 Well the right is just full is stupid people who don’t believe the truth even when they’re shown they’re wrong so who cares they should lose everything.

[@therealdeal3672]

Post a link to the clip about Biden that you were talking about where he specifies skin color for Aid. I have specifically heard it referred to as being tied to socioeconomic need.

[@Devic13]

That thumbnail is gold

[@howardbent5437]

I feel like Sam expressed himself more clearly when he was less identified with politics. The podcast was as objective as possible without a lot of personal reaction, as if he were looking at things from the outside. That being said, I think his opinions are still valuable and I still listen to the podcast

[@gucci4skin210]

Couldn't agree more

[@MawcDrums]

Agreed, it's become rather grating to listen to the podcast anymore considering his both-sidesing of many issues. You'd think he'd be more aware of the traps of logical fallacies and the potential to misconstrue intent by comparing two separate things.

[@stephenknox2346]

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Not sure I have much interest in the wisdom of "how we did things in Iraq and Afghanistan" stories.

[@bentray1908]

Stephen Knox what came next? ..... isis

[@notheisenbear5686]

Made the same comment. These people are delusional.

[@DstnyCln]

I am interested in the declassified letters McChrystal mentioned between Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri. He said that Bin Laden was mostly rational and wrote letters to Al Zawahiri pleading with him to stop the beheadings. But I couldn't find any support for this after doing some follow-up research. I wonder if he got mixed up and he actually meant to say Al Baghdadi.

[@akwenda3678]

I like how Sam tries to pry for Military attitude at present and how the General deftly answers

[@amyanderson4099]

Never let Christianity get it's teeth back...Chrisphor Hitchens

[@anthonyreed480]

You have just murdered the English language and "Chrisphor" is rolling in his grave.

[@skonther0ck]

Oh my god. It’s the it’s vs its that gets me.

[@anthonyreed480]

@@skonther0ck Yeah that physically hurt me too.

[@robby3467]

The woke cult is every bit as dangerous potentially. Same mindset. Difference is the woke cult already has it's teeth firmly embedded.

[@anthonyreed480]

@@robby3467 Are you deliberately misspelling "its" to take the piss at this point?

[@jirkazalabak1514]

If I had to describe the police response to the BLM protest/riots, the word I think fits the best is "confused". You can see many instances of policemen kneeling in front of rioters destroying property, while in other cases, they had absolutely no problem with brutalizing peaceful protesters for no reason. I mean, are there no universal guidelines on how to handle this in 2020? Something as simple as looting = arrest and protesting = monitor. I mean, how fucking hard is that? Cops always complain about there being too many rules in the way, but looking at this, I think they might be full of shit on that, lol.

[@TheSycaman]

many instances of policy kneeling? citation needed for more than 3 instances.

[@einsteindarwin8756]

OMG. I remember that mall. I had no idea I was in enemy territory.

[@ilyaumanskiy724]

Sam, please find and interview Mike Monteiro (Mule Design). You’ll get a very important perspective on ethics of social media platforms and their business models.

[@burningdog2]

Agreed, I'd love to hear that conversation.