Kontrarian Korner Kontrarian Korner #145 - Dave Collum & Colonel Towner-Watkins
Aug 27, 2026
Colonel Towner-Watkins, retired military researcher on Operation Gladio, and David B. Collum, outspoken Cornell chemistry professor on medicine and policy, debate intelligence networks, covert funding and trafficking. They also tackle pharmaceutical failures, catastrophic antidepressant withdrawal, industrial food and seed oils, carnivore diets and intermittent fasting, plus legal corruption and signs of progress against clandestine syndicates.
01:59:09
Verify Drug Safety With Crowd Anecdotes Before Prescribing
- Check social media reports and patient anecdotes before starting new drugs; Collum recommends searching Twitter for immediate side-effect signals.
- He used a Twitter poll and found 62% reporting major statin side effects, advising extreme caution.
Cholesterol Is Central To Brain Chemistry
- Collum highlights the neurological role of cholesterol and warns statins can impair brain function.
- He frames lowering cholesterol pharmacologically as a direct interference with essential steroid chemistry linked to cognition.
Five Books To Question Modern Public Health Orthodoxy
- Read investigative books to understand systemic failures in medicine and public health; Collum lists five specific titles he calls transformative.
- He recommends Follow The Science, Sickening, The Real Anthony Fauci, Moth In The Iron Lung, and Vaccine Amen.
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Intro
00:00 • 58sec
Lindsay Clancy: insanity, medications, and legal outcome
00:58 • 3min
Effexor and catastrophic withdrawal experiences
04:21 • 3min
Military medicine and prescription overuse
07:32 • 6min
Alternatives and natural remedies for chronic pain
13:58 • 2min
Statins, cholesterol thresholds, and dementia concerns
16:23 • 7min
Industrial food, seed oils, and declining food quality
23:15 • 28sec
Carnivore diet benefits and personal experiences
23:43 • 16min
Intermittent fasting and the six o'clock diet
39:44 • 5min
Current events overview and tuning out noise
44:40 • 45sec
Operation Gladio introduction and research sources
45:26 • 5min
BCCI, money laundering, and covert funding networks
50:16 • 5min
CIA, trafficking, and creating refugee communities
55:10 • 10min
Signs of progress against the international syndicate
01:05:13 • 3min
Recommended books on covert operations and coups
01:08:39 • 6min
Researchers, whistleblowers, and credibility debates
01:14:27 • 24min
Charlie Kirk shooting: inconsistencies and skepticism
01:38:39 • 6min
TPUSA, trafficking allegations, and troubling associations
01:44:11 • 3min
Courts, rigged trials, and legal manipulation
01:47:03 • 10min
Outro
01:57:21 • 2min
#
The Richie Boys
J.B. Cartwright
This work profiles the 'Ritchie Boys,' a specialized WWII intelligence unit composed of German-speaking refugees trained at Camp Ritchie to conduct interrogation, psychological warfare, and intelligence work.
The book compiles biographies, operational histories, and analysis of their contributions to Allied intelligence efforts.
As a reference, it provides detailed documentation of personnel, missions, and the unit's impact on wartime operations.
The book is valued by historians and readers interested in intelligence history, refugee contributions to the Allied cause, and the human stories behind clandestine wartime work.
#8248
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
Moth in the Iron Lung
Forrest Moretti
#16153
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Follow the Science
Sharyl Attkisson
Sharyl Attkisson's 'Follow the Science' delves into the complexities of the pharmaceutical industry and its influence on healthcare.
The book examines how misleading information and obscured practices have contributed to rising healthcare costs and increased chronic illnesses.
Attkisson exposes instances of corporate influence and manipulation of scientific data.
The book also offers insights into regaining control over personal health amidst a manipulated information environment.
It encourages readers to engage in critical thinking and independent research to make informed decisions about their health.
#6975
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
Vaccines, Amen
Aaron Seary
#1245
• Mentioned in 41 episodes
One Nation under Blackmail
Whitney Alyse Webb
This book is a damning indictment of the consequences resulting from the relationship between US and Israeli intelligence and the National Crime Syndicate.
It explores how this nexus developed sexual blackmail tactics and networks that enabled Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.
The book traces the origin of these networks back to World War II and follows their activities through the decades, highlighting various scandals, corruption, and crimes involving sex blackmail that have subverted many of America's important institutions.
#491
• Mentioned in 80 episodes
The Real Anthony Fauci
Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health
Robert Kennedy, Jr.
In this book, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presents a highly critical view of Anthony Fauci's career, particularly his roles during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kennedy alleges that Fauci has sabotaged safe and effective treatments, orchestrated fraudulent studies, and violated federal laws to allow pharmaceutical companies to conduct deadly experiments on vulnerable populations.
The book also details Fauci's partnership with Bill Gates and the influence of the 'Pharma-Fauci-Gates alliance' on global health policy, media, and scientific research.
Kennedy argues that Fauci and his allies have suppressed open debate, censored dissent, and promoted fearful propaganda about COVID-19 virulence and pathogenesis.
#
Program to Kill (The Phoenix Program)
Douglas Valentine
Doug Valentine's work on the Phoenix Program examines the U.S.
counterinsurgency campaign in Vietnam aimed at neutralizing Viet Cong infrastructure through infiltration, capture, and assassination.
Valentine documents how U.S.
intelligence and military forces implemented controversial tactics, often resulting in human-rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.
The book analyzes the program's structure, methods, and the political context that enabled such operations.
It draws connections between wartime psychological operations and later domestic strategies used by intelligence agencies.
Valentine's reporting has been influential in shaping critical perspectives on U.S.
counterinsurgency policies.
#4376
• Mentioned in 14 episodes
Stalin's War
A New History of World War II
Sean McMeekin
In 'Stalin's War', Sean McMeekin presents a groundbreaking reassessment of World War II by shifting the focus from Adolf Hitler to Joseph Stalin.
McMeekin argues that Stalin was the central figure in the conflict, working to ensure that the war would leave his enemies exhausted and ripe for revolution.
The book reveals how Soviet Communism was rescued by the self-defeating strategic moves of the US and Britain, particularly through Lend-Lease aid, which provided Stalin's war machine with substantial American matériel.
This support enabled the Soviet Union to conquer much of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, and set the stage for the Cold War. McMeekin's research draws on previously classified Soviet archives and challenges the traditional view of World War II as a simple struggle between good and evil.
#17787
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
American betrayal
The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character
Diana West
In 'American Betrayal,' Diana West delves into the historical record to expose the extensive penetration of the U.S.
government by Soviet agents and sympathizers from the 1930s through the Cold War era.
She argues that this infiltration, particularly during Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, led to a significant betrayal of American values and principles.
West contends that this betrayal has had long-lasting effects, contributing to the erosion of moral standards, the rise of political correctness, and the suppression of truth.
The book is part real-life thriller and part national tragedy, highlighting the hidden war between those who sought to conceal the truth and those who tried to expose it.
#24005
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Family of Secrets
Russ Baker
#24031
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
NATO's Secret Armies
Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe
Daniele Ganser
Daniel Ganser's 'NATO's Secret Armies' investigates the clandestine networks known as 'stay-behind armies,' which were established across Western Europe during the Cold War. These secret armies, backed by NATO and the CIA, were intended to resist a potential Soviet invasion.
The book explores the connections between these networks and various paramilitary groups, raising questions about their involvement in terrorist activities and political manipulation.
Ganser's research sheds light on the hidden aspects of Cold War politics and the complex relationships between intelligence agencies, military forces, and secret organizations.
It also touches on the controversies and debates surrounding these covert operations and their impact on national sovereignty and democracy.
#4460
• Mentioned in 14 episodes
Operation Gladio
Paul Williams
#10454
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
Killing Hope
William Blum
#7945
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
Sickening
John Abramson
John Abramson's "Sickening" exposes the hidden truths within the pharmaceutical industry.
Abramson, a Harvard professor and medical doctor, reveals how drug companies manipulate data and influence research to maximize profits, often at the expense of patient safety.
The book delves into the process of peer review, highlighting how reviewers receive sanitized data, hindering their ability to assess the true risks and benefits of medications.
Abramson uses case studies, including the Vioxx scandal, to illustrate the devastating consequences of this system.
Ultimately, "Sickening" serves as a call for greater transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical industry.
Yesterday I had everyone’s favorite Cornell professor, Dave Collum, and the resident Operation Gladio expert, Colonel Towner-Watkins, on the podcast for a great conversation. We talked about everything from the Lindsey Clancy case, to how broken the pharmaceutical and medical system is, industrial food, Operation Gladio, and the corruption of the legal system. If you want a list of books to start the world’s most interesting conspiracy book collection, I have included the books we talked about in the podcast below. You can find Dave on Twitter, or under his desk. You can find the Colonel on Twitter, Rumble, YouTube, and Substack.
Book Recommendations:
* Follow The Science by Sharryl Attkinson
* Sickening by John Abramson
* The Real Anthony Fauci by Bobby Kennedy
* Moth In The Iron Lung by Forrest Maready
* Vaccines Amen by Aaron Siri
* Operation Gladio by Paul Williams
* NATO’s Secret Armies by Daniele Ganser
* Killing Hope by William Blum
* One Nation Under Blackmail by Whitney Webb
* Blowback by Margaret Roberts
* American Betrayal by Diana West
* The Medusa File by Craig Roberts
* Family of Secrets by Russ Baker
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