Scott interviews activist Basir Bita about the economic calamity that’s hit Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrawal this past summer. With the U.S. and IMF freezing Afghan government funds as well as widespread market corrections after the fall of the previous regime, Afghanistan has been thrown into turmoil. Food prices have tripled since the summer and many Afghans face issues with food security. Bita argues that the Biden Administration and others should get over their hesitation to work with the new government of Afghanistan. And that a refusal to do so reveals how little they truly...
Rhetoric
COI #207: Is Biden Turning to Diplomacy with Russia and Iran?
On COI #207, Kyle Anzalone and Connor Freeman update the JCPOA talks’ recent developments and the Russians’ security proposals presented to Washington. Kyle discusses the Russians pulling 10,000 troops off the border with Ukraine and sending them back to their bases. This is potentially a show of goodwill before the upcoming talks with the U.S. next month. Kyle and Connor then cover some recent escalations that do not necessarily bode well for substantive diplomacy like the Americans flying spy planes over Ukraine not far from the separatist Donbas region. There is also talk of a...
Is Virtue Signaling Vicious?
Virtue signaling—the practice of highlighting what one takes to be one’s own moral superiority, often by loudly denouncing the character and comportment, including the speech, of other people—has become a dominant mode of rhetoric throughout social media and network television. Virtue theory, in contrast, is a teleological approach to normative morality concerned with how actions affect one’s soul or character. Historians of philosophy usually trace virtue theory to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the first extant articulation of ideas such as that habits build character, and virtues...
Fed’s Economy: the “Wealth Effect” and How it Impacts Americans Individually
"This is an effective way to tear a country apart — and the Fed is trying to cover it up with its ludicrous rhetoric. But politicians in Washington of all stripes – who could stop the Fed’s policies with legislation – are fully on board with the wealth effect because they’re among the primary beneficiaries. And to heck with the bottom 50%. Not even populists on the left or the right, whose base is getting hit over the head on a daily basis by the wealth effect, are decrying the Fed’s policies." On the contrary. Wolf Richter at Wolf Street More here End The Fed...
Ideology And The Death Of Nations w/Coop
Tommy invited Coop onto the show to discuss the parallels between modern culture, relativity, objectivism, and how nations enter the period of their ultimate demise. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/strangerencounterspodcast/coopfinal.mp3
Episode 460: An Overview Of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thought w/ Daniel Coffeen
62 Minutes Some Strong Language Daniel got his PhD in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley in 1998. He taught adjunct in the department for many years but after becoming displeased with academia, he started writing independently and doing a series of podcasts. He wrote a little book called "Reading the Way of Things: Towards a New Technology of Sense" published by Zero Books. Pete asked Daniel to come on the show and give a primer/overview on the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche. This takes on a more conversational tone but that may help to answer questions the listener may have. Renegade University...
Democrats Push Cold War and Impeachment
On FPF #447, I discuss the Democrats push to demonize Russia in a failing attempt to impeach Trump. Rep Adam Schiff has led with Cold War rhetoric to try to pump up a lacking case. The narrative the Democrats are pushing forward against Trump is dishonest and dangerous. Fanning the flames of Russiagate will lead to a potential war and more of our tax dollars wasted. Links Daniel Lazare on Impeachment
Year Zero: When Is War Appropriate?
In Episode 50 Tommy takes a look at the latest tensions with Iran, and the possibility of a hot war. 10 minutes before bombing strategic targets in Iran Trump called off the attack. He said he didn't want to kill people over the loss of a drone. Tuesday, he began with hawkish rhetoric against Iran; supposedly to get Iranian leaders to the table in order to hammer out another "better" deal. 4 years into his presidency a pattern has emerged. Will Iran give in to his demands? Is there a potential for a "better" deal? And if not, is war appropriate? Listen to Year Zero...
Livestream on Iran guests Will Porter & Steven Woskow
On the first FPF Patreon's Livestream, I'm joined by Will Porter and Steven Woskow to talk about Iran, the new Defense Secretary, and Venezuela. Iran shot down the unmanned US spy drone in (or near) Iranian airspace. The Trump administration has responded with hawkish rhetoric. We give our take on the possibility and dangers of a war with Iran. Will Porter is a staff writer at RT. His work has been published at Antiwar.com, Consortium News, and the Libertarian Institute. Steven Woskow's publishes on the blog at the Libertarian...
US-Led Bombing Campaign in Syria Killed 1,600 Civilians and Left Raqqa ‘Most Destroyed City in Modern Times’: Study
Julia Conley at Common Dreams reviews the results from a study conducted by Amnesty International and Airwars. The report—"Rhetoric vs. Reality: How the 'Most Precise Air Campaign in History' Left Raqqa the Most Destroyed City in Modern Times"—is detailed on the interactive website created by investigative news organization Airwars and the human rights group Amnesty International*-USA which carried out what they call the "most comprehensive investigation into civilian deaths in a modern conflict."* The research collated almost two years of investigations into the assault on Raqqa, the...
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