Fourth Reich Archaeology

This week on Fourth Reich Archaeology, we take a brief hiatus from Jerryworld and travel back to the present day for a special episode on the 2024 election cycle.  A true American spectacle, the sights and sounds of the 2024 campaign trail appear to have been inspired by the pomp and circumstance of modern professional wrestling. In fact, with a steady bombardment of character arcs, secret alliances, double-crosses, over-the-top walkout songs, cheesy catchphrases, and interludes from rappers and comedians to boot, you’ve been so busy being entertained this election cycle that you don’t even realize your favorite politician hasn’t said a lick about policy. While we otherwise may not know exactly what kind of terrible shit is going to come out of the mouths of our political leaders, you can always count on it being unhinged.  But lest you think we are departing from our favorite object of study... to the contrary, we apply the artifacts we've unearthed in the first three episodes of Jerryworld to help make sense of the senselessness of the 2024 presidential election. Indeed, the life and times of Jerry Ford are as relevant as ever. Whereas Gerald Ford's eventual identity as a mere brand ambassador for the entrenched powers that be had a ring of tragedy to it, Kamala and Donald inhabit a world of hyper-farce, playing the role of carnival-barker for feuding (but ultimately compatible) factions of the ruling class. Moreover, while there are issues each nominee has championed for their respective financial backers, or to pacify or incite their faithful followers, the substance of their actual policy positions on the things that really matter don’t meaningfully differ.  Like every election before it, 2024 will likely once again break the record for most expensive election ever. But in our view, money in politics nowadays isn't so much about swaying elections as inflating the spectacle of "democracy," generating viewership through the corporate media machine, and imposing hard limits on what is considered acceptable political discourse. Thus, to paraphrase our favorite Thomas Pynchon quote once again, the true election cycle is not the culmination of a democratic process but a celebration of markets. And to all our Jerry heads out there, don't fret—we will return to our regularly scheduled program next week with Jerryworld Episode 4. Meanwhile, check out our Patreon, which we're finally rolling out. We won't paywall any content just yet, but we do invite and encourage you all to get in on the ground floor. The sooner we can quit our day-jobs, the more time we can pour into the pod, and the deeper we can dig into the hellscape of the Fourth Reich.* * * * * * * Song List: Talking Heads – Once in a LifetimeBob Dylan – Masters of WarMetallica – For Whom the Bell Tolls Neutral Milk Hotel – Oh ComelyTrey Parker and Matt Stone - I’m a Little Bit Country David Bowie – Five Years Opening Clip is from Dr. Oblivion’s monologue in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome 

In our most noided episode yet, we follow Gerald Ford to Yale University where he first worked as a coach before studying in the law school. He spent several formative years in New Haven, from 1935-1941, overlapping with such figures as CIA Counterintelligence Chief James Jesus Angleton, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart and Byron White, and many more.We dig deep into the whole Yale milieu of the time - how curious that Jerry finds himself in the land of Boola Boola at the same time as many of the godfathers of the American intelligence apparatus. At Yale, Jerry joins the original America First Committee, networking with true American elites and situating himself politically on the opposite side of the Roosevelt administration. We'll reveal the surprising identity of the faculty advisor for the Committee - a name that will have true heads' jaws on the floor. (THANK YOU to TIMOTHY CLEARY for the incredible build-up music in that sequence!!)But Jerry wasn't spending all his time as a coach/law student in the library, he spent a good deal of time in NYC with his model girlfriend. Indeed, he dabbled in modeling himself. He dabbled in modeling so much, listener, that he got involved with one of the real godfathers of American modeling and publicity, a man with surprising links to intelligence of his own...

Welcome to Fourth Reich Archaeology!This episode provides an exegesis on the idea and concept behind the podcast - namely, that the global capitalist world order led by the United States represents a continuation of the Nazi quest for world domination and total control. Indeed, we posit that the current US-led world marks a stage in a continuous process dating back at least to the age of European "exploration" and conquest, through the "enlightenment" and industrial revolution, and into the long 20th century.We also provide a sneak peek at what's to come next in Fourth Reich Archaeology: "Jerryworld" - our first series delving into the life and times of Gerald Ford. Follow us on Twitter @fourthreichpod, follow Don on Twitter @AngletonOrchids, and/or email us at fourthreichpod@gmail.com with your thoughts, questions, tips, or feedback. We'd love to hear from you!Further Reading:Christopher Simpson, "Blowback"Christopher Simpson, "The Splendid Blond Beast"David Talbot, "The Devil's Chessboard"George Seldes, "Facts and Fascism"E.H. Cokeridge, "Gehlen: Spy of the Century"Music:Beanie Sigel, "The Truth"Manu Chao, "Rainin' in Paradize"David Bowie, "We Are the Dead"KRS-ONE, "The Truth"Partido Comunista de Uruguay, "La Internacional"Paul Robeson, "Soviet National Anthem"Cabaret (Movie Soundtrack), "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"The Kinks, "Money-go-round"Graham Nash, "Chicago"Angleton's Orchids (covering Bob Dylan), "With God on Our Side"Clips:"Winter Soldier: Trailer" "Get Me Roger Stone: Trailer"Praeger U, "Why Has the West Been So Successful?"And More...

(C) 2024, Angleton's Orchids