The Skeptical Leftist Podcast

In this episode, we dive deep into David Halberstam's classic book The Best and the Brightest, exploring how some of America's most esteemed minds led the country into one of its most significant foreign policy disasters—the Vietnam War. We unpack the failures of leadership, the hubris of the so-called "best and brightest," and the devastating implications of their decisions. Through this discussion, we aim to understand how these missteps shaped the war's outcome and continue to influence U.S. foreign policy today. Whether you're a history buff or simply interested in the lessons learned from Vietnam, this episode offers a compelling analysis of one of the 20th century's most critical events. You can get copies of the book from  AbeBooks - https://www.abebooks.com/9780449908709/Best-Brightest-Halberstam-David-0449908704/plp Or Bookshop.org - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-best-and-the-brightest-david-halberstam/11074561 Check out Justin's links and follow him https://www.justinclark.org/ https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/ https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph https://www.in.gov/history/ https://blog.history.in.gov/ https://newspapers.library.in.gov/ And check out my linktree https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. Today, we’re revisiting some older bonus content, originally from August of 2021, part of our Red Reviews series—this one’s Red Reviews #6. Even though it’s been a while since we recorded it, the issues we discuss are still very much relevant today. We’ll be diving into how some on the left can lose their way when they start shifting to the right, forgetting their responsibility to stand up for regular people—those of us who work hard every day—not the ones sitting comfortably in power. So, let’s get into today’s episode. We’re going to explore why it’s so important to stay true to our principles, especially when things get tough. I hope you find this conversation as meaningful as I do, and as always, thanks for tuning in." Check out Justin's links and follow him ⁠https://www.justinclark.org/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/⁠ ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph⁠ ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social⁠ https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph ⁠https://www.in.gov/history/⁠ ⁠https://blog.history.in.gov/⁠ ⁠https://newspapers.library.in.gov/⁠ And check out my linktree ⁠https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist⁠

I had a great chat with Eric Wickham from Big Shiny Takes. We covered a range of topics from Canadian politics and homelessness to the state of media bias. It was a fun and informative conversation that I think you’ll enjoy. Here are some links for stuff we talked about https://www.unrigged.ca/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/capital-gains-tax-budget-1.7176370 https://proof.utoronto.ca/2023/new-data-on-household-food-insecurity-in-2022/ https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/p/homelessness-in-regina https://hosergrocerytracker.ca/  https://www.readtheorchard.org/p/who-the-fuck-is-the-food-professor Here are a couple links for finding Eric https://bigshinytakes.com/ https://x.com/ES_Wickham https://x.com/bigshinytakes  https://www.thehoser.ca/posts/grocery-graphs-tracking-time https://www.techwontsave.us/ https://pressprogress.ca/trending-topics/pressprogress-sources-podcast/ And check out my linktree https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

Unearth a forgotten gem from our archives! In this episode, we revisit a discussion on the decline of the secular movement, the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW), and the impact of sexual misconduct allegations. Join us for a nostalgic look back at a pivotal time in cultural and intellectual discourse. Here are a few links for subjects we touched on https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-science-of-transgender-treatment/ https://www.buzzfeed.com/markoppenheimer/will-misogyny-bring-down-the-atheist-movement?#.dwbKvk8R60 https://undark.org/2018/07/11/michael-shermer-skeptic-me-too/ https://youtu.be/eaayXbcQ2SY?si=YPUbwYU8DoV5sxnq https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_lab_leak_theory https://www.dailydot.com/debug/chapo-trap-house-virgil-texas-accused-of-grooming/ https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/azeenghorayshi/neil-degrasse-tyson-sexual-allegations-four-women Check out Justin's links and follow him https://www.justinclark.org/ https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/ https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph https://www.in.gov/history/ https://blog.history.in.gov/ https://newspapers.library.in.gov/ And check out my linktree https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory

In this episode, we're exploring the life and legacy of "the man who shook the world," J. Robert Oppenheimer. Our deep dive into Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's American Prometheus takes us on a journey through the mind of the brilliant physicist who led the Manhattan Project. From his early academic days to his pivotal role in creating the atomic bomb, we'll unpack the complexities of this controversial figure and the profound impact he had on history. We'll also delve into Oppenheimer's political views and his tragic role as one of the first victims of the Red Scare. Join us as we explore the science, politics, and ethics of the atomic age. Want to learn more? Grab a copy of American Prometheus here: Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-Oppenheimer/dp/0375726268 Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/american-prometheus-the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-j.-robert-oppenheimer/9781470824419.html Check out Justin's links and follow him https://www.justinclark.org/ https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/ https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph https://www.in.gov/history/ https://blog.history.in.gov/ https://newspapers.library.in.gov/ And check out my linktree https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory

In this episode Justin talks to us about Leninism Under Lenin by Marcel Liebman. We talk about the good and the bad, the revolutionary leader and the politician, all things Lenin.  You can get a copy of the book here - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/908-leninism-under-lenin Check out Justin's links and follow him https://www.justinclark.org/ https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/ https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph https://www.in.gov/history/ https://blog.history.in.gov/ https://newspapers.library.in.gov/ And check out my linktree https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory

Ok folks this is an interesting one, Kareem Maize is a former an-cap turned left sympathetic anarchist. He considers himself a Pluralist anarchist or a communalist and runs a website dedicated to the unification of varying anarchist tendencies. Take this as you will, I enjoyed the conversation and tried to really understand his perspective. I encourage you to follow him and check out his stuff. See what you think and let me know  Here are his links https://twitter.com/kareem6633 https://www.instagram.com/kareem66356/ https://www.facebook.com/kareem.maize https://www.youtube.com/@theessentiallibertarians8852 https://anarchunity.com/ Read up on Aaron Bushnell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation_of_Aaron_Bushnel You can follow me in all the places at https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory I’ve recently abandoned my website so ignore all the links in previous shownotes. It just wasn’t worth the effort to keep up the site.

In this episode Justin talks to us about 5 revolutionary women courtesy of the book Red Valkyries by Kristen Ghodsee. We discuss Alexandra Kollontai, Nadezhda Krupskaya, Inessa Armand, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, and Elena Lagadinova, their stories and their impact on the world through their radical socialist feminist politics.  You can get a copy of the book here - https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/products/2880-red-valkyries Check out Justin's links and follow him https://www.justinclark.org/ https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/ https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph https://www.in.gov/history/ https://blog.history.in.gov/ https://newspapers.library.in.gov/ And check out my linktree https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory

In this interview I talked to Tori Glass, host of the podcast White Homework. We covered a variety of topics including theory, history, and current events. I highly recommend checking out White Homework and becoming a supporter on Patreon or Substack. Here are some links where you can find White Homework and Tori’s other work https://toriglass.substack.com/ https://www.toriglass.com/ https://x.com/ToriGlass https://bsky.app/profile/toriglass.bsky.social https://www.instagram.com/whitehomework https://www.youtube.com/@toriwilliamsdouglass3455 https://www.patreon.com/toriglass For fun you can follow me in other places https://www.skepticalleftist.com/ https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory

In this episode we talk science and socialism as we go through the scientific revolution that came from Darwin’s theory of evolution and Marx’s theory of socialism and how the two theories intersect.  Check out the book here https://www.marxists.org/archive/pannekoe/1912/marxism-darwinism.htm Check out Justin's links and follow him https://www.justinclark.org/ https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/ https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph https://www.in.gov/history/ https://blog.history.in.gov/ https://newspapers.library.in.gov/ And check out my linktree and website https://www.skepticalleftist.com/ https://linktr.ee/Skepticalcory