Da Dos

Category: YouTube, History, Geopolitics

  • John Kiriakou

    John Kiriakou

    It’s the offseason. I just caught a ‘most impactful rookies at minicamp’ piece, and felt pity for those who MUST write on the Bears and solely the Bears. You think Loveland would’ve been on that list a year ago – How bout Trapilo?

    Anywho, I love Mehdi Hasan. He calls it like it is, and as such, got booted from the mainstream media [much like Tucker Carlson, but from the other side – both are considered ‘anti-Israel’, so you make your own conclusions].

    Hasan as such now has his own show. Here is one of the most fascinating ones with ex-CIA agent John Kiriakou

    “The CIA will so ruin a person whose politics they don’t like, that he can never work again. I did 23 months in a federal prison. I paid my so-called debt to society.”

    In this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, Mehdi Hasan sits down with former CIA agent John Kiriakou, who was imprisoned for blowing the whistle on CIA torture, to discuss his life as an agent, Trump, Israel, Epstein and more.

    After a career in the CIA, Kiriakou’s decision to blow the whistle on the secret torture program led him to imprisonment. Kiriakou explains how he thought the CIA was going to put him through Bush-era torture, and Mehdi probes into Kiriakou’s conflicting statements regarding the effectiveness of torture as an interrogation technique.

    They also discuss if Jeffrey Epstein was an Israeli spy, the role of Israel in pushing the U.S. into war with Iran and why he chose to work for Russian state media after prison. He also details Trump’s phone calls, Rudy Giuliani’s fees, and whether or not he endorsed a racist far-right candidate.


    Let’s be clear, Kiriakou is NOT a saint. I’m not sure anyone can be in the CIA/FBI/NSA or other alphabet soup agency AND be a good person. He retired from the CIA not out of some noble sense of morality, but because he wanted to spend more time with his family.

    However, that didn’t mean Kiriakou was a complete psychopath. I often think about what Michael Irvin told HC Jimmy Johnson when they took local hookers with them on the road,

    “We were trying to do the wrong thing in the right way.”

    A lot of times, we’re thrown into circumstances, families, institutions, that are inherently corrupt, immoral, even evil, and if we even possess one monad of humanity, we KNOW it’s wrong and try to make the best of it. The truly evil don’t. They enthusiastically use the atrocious apparatus to self-serve, humanity be damned.

    In 2019, Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo who went on to become Secretary of State, told a crowd at Texas A&M University, “What’s the cadet motto at West Point?
    You will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do
    I was the CIA Director: we lied, we cheated, we stole.     “

    “I asked my dad, ‘who are those guys [Mobsters]?’”
    “Those are bad guys, but they’re our bad guys.” – Sammy The Bull Gravano, credited with 19 hits

    Kiriakou unlike the producers of “24” drew the line at ‘enhanced interrogation‘ i.e. water boarding and torture, which isn’t moral, legal or even effective. The Feds naturally prosecuted him for growing a conscience and whistleblowing. How dare he? He was staring at life behind fed ass-pounding prison, and in another interview reluctantly admitted, nearly committed suicided.

    This was a bipartisan witchhunt, btw. Sometimes in history it takes one guy to put down the sword and take up a cross. This is his.

    Another more insightful interview than Joe Rogan‘s.

    OT. Oh, yeah, for shits and giggles. Kiriakou also relays a HEE-LARIOUS Brüno story. If you thought Kiriakou was brave for whistleblowing, dress up like a flamboyant gay Austrian fashion designer and interview actual Muslim terrorists IN the Middle East!




  • The Other Football

    The Other Football

    Image courtesy of Bloomberg
    OK, I was going to post GP’s continuing saga on the stadium, but it’s the weekend, and most check out, have fun, as it should be, so I’ll save his “Fealty” piece for Mon.

    Also, the World Cup literally kicked off in Mexico City yesterday, and what a spectacle! Here’s Mana with a surprise appearance. For you 80s rockers, I definitely recommend Mana/Jaguares and Heroes de Silenco esp if you wanna score a few easy points with the hot mamies [see what I did there?]

    I must admit, I do not watch fútbol. It seems like a full-time job. Got a million players on a million teams all across the globe, and most of the great teams are in European time-zones. I’m also American, so I innately disdain ties, flopping while simultaneously craving something more violent. Or as Whitman exclaims,

    “I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”

    In HS it was usually the immigrants who played soccer. Us “real” athletes played football, baseball, basketball and wrestled. Soccer, Tennis, Badminton, even swimming and track were for ‘those’ guys; it’s a rather stupid attitude to hold, but hey, HS is nothing but one dumb idea after another.

    However, all this changed in World Cup ’94 in Pasadena. A young virile Butch used to frequent Old Town Pasadena quite a bit, picking off drunk girls bar-hopping like a lion in the Serengeti. Hey, I was sloshed myself, so game on! No swiping necessary.

    Anyways, World Cup hit Pasadena, and it was NUTS. I was too poor to travel, but the world cup brought Barcelona, Paris, Rio de Janeiro…to provincial moi. It was quite an eye-opener. It was also pure unadulterated euphoria. An international celebration with everyone draped in their flags, hanging off lampposts, singing their foreign songs! Contrast that to the present with masked Gestapo patrolling cities.

    Ever since, I loved watching World Cup [not really soccer]. I think I know enough of it now to really enjoy it without being an expert on formations, managers, etc. It’s an acquired taste, I must admit. It doesn’t lend itself to ESPN Highlight reel clips. In many ways, it’s more like a ballet – or more accurately, ballet blended with hockey – where the tension builds over time like a volcano with sudden monumental eruptions. If you’re in a room of diehards, you can FEEL the tension – the anticipation – the dread – and if a gooooooaaaalll is scored – the ecstasy! God help fans when it goes to penalties. Very few sports can match the World Cup in drama and catharsis.

    I also learned what a MAJOR deal it is internationally. I knew a Vietnamese guy whose little village slept in hammocks. They only had one TV in the whole village, and they all huddled to watch the World Cup around it at ungodly hours.

    I frequented an English pub. The owner was literally one of the chefs for the Queen of England. St George crosses everywhere. Well, for World Cup, and ONLY World Cup, he’d open up his pub at 6am! I love Bangers and Mash, but never had them with eggs and coffee!

    Canada, U.S. and Mexico host The World Cup this time around. It’s once every 4 years. I know the matches are mostly during day time, but if you can, do yourself a favor and hit a ‘soccer’ dive to watch it. Even if you’re not into soccer or are just a casual, I highly recommend it as an experience. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into some drunk Brits and Germans who start chanting their songs. And if you’re REALLY lucky, you’ll cross one of these!

    U.S.A! U.S.A!



  • Afroman: american hero

    Afroman: american hero

    In this image taken from video, rap artist Afroman testifies in court on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in West Union, Ohio. (WCPO via Associated Press)

    “I hope Afroman really did fuck that cop’s wife” – rando internet comment

    This piqued my interest into the Afroman saga which is much too long to totally explain, but here’s the gist.

    – Some street rat [turns out was a felon] informed the police that Afroman sells drugs, kidnaps and tortures victims in his basement [NVM that his home doesn’t have a basement, but hey, it’s the Ohio police].

    – Adam’s County sheriffs barge in, break his gate and door on top of ransacking his house. They turn off his security cameras because, ya know, that’s what perfectly legit cops do; needless to say, they didn’t find the sex dungeon. They don’t reimburse him for his damages and tell him to shove their apologies up his ass. Apparently, under the law, most cops can indeed break down YOUR shit, ransack your home, traumatize your family, and barge out like the Gustapo.

    – So, Afroman makes a [shitty] song about it to try to raise enough $$$ for new gate and door.

    “I asked myself as a powerless black man in America, what can I do? And the only thing I can come up with was, make a funny rap song about them, and make some money, use the money to pay for the damages, and move on.” – Afroman

    He says some stuff about the sheriffs as you may imagine, including one particular officer he coins “Officer Poundcake.” He also accuses the cops of stealing $400 bucks from his legal stash [why else would they turnoff the cameras?].

    – Ohio cops suddenly develop feelings like they’re on the Oprah Winfrey couch and claim Afroman’s songs have victimized THEM. I guess sheriffs are total snowflakes for enough shakedown. Officer Poundcake specifically cites emotional trauma esp since Afroman implies he fucked his wife, which under oath, he can’t actually deny. I don’t know how you can look your friends in the eye after that, but hey, you baked the lemon poundcake, now eat it! Welcome to Winchester, Ohio, pop 1K.

    – Jury finds that Afroman actually has freedom of speech though he still has to pay the lawyers out of his pocket. $$$ most of us regular folk don’t have. Food for thought.

    “I wanted to drug traffic, but then I got high…I wanted to build a torture basement, but then I got high…”

    A JAG Lawyer breaks it down citing, of all things, the precedent of Hustler owner Larry Flynt writing that Rev Jerry Falwell literally fucked his mother.

  • Take. The. Points.

    Take. The. Points.

    Official. Pats-v-Seahawks SB.

    This was my projected outcome. I still predict SEA will win the whole thing. They seem like the most complete team: solid coaching; good QB [who is not currently choking]; unstoppable WR with 1-2 punch at HB; great D and specials; NFCW Battle tested [unlike Pats].

    Brett James@thebrettjames1
    ·10h
    Patriots path to a Super Bowl:

    Dolphins x2 (7-10)

    Panthers (8-9)

    Saints (6-11)

    Titans (3-14)

    Bills (12-5)

    Browns (5-12)

    Falcons (8-9)

    Buccaneers (8-9)

    Jets x2 (3-14)

    Bengals (6-11)

    Giants (4-13)

    Ravens (8-9)

    [Playoffs]Justin Herbert; CJ Stroud; Jarrett Stidham

    Dante Koplowitz-Fleming@DanteKopFlem
    ·10h
    Fewest points scored in the Wild Card, Divisional, and Conference Championship Games en route to a Super Bowl appearance:

    54 – 2025 Patriots [Maye]
    61 – 2000 Ravens [Dilfer]
    68 – 2007 Giants [Eli]

    This was Maye’s statline somewhere in the 2nd QTR vs Broncos:

    8/14 [57%], 46 yds, and 50 yds rushing, 1 TD. Maye is Fields!

    NFL Researcher@NFL_Researcher
    ·10h
    The Patriots have averaged 18.0 PPG this postseason, the fewest by any team to make the Super Bowl since the 1979 Rams (15.0).

    One seemingly underrated area though is the Pats’ Dline, especially the interior. They make life hard on both HB and QB, which allows Maye to effectively game manage and scramble on pivotal downs.

    Butch’s overall ’26 playoff impression.

    Collinsworth, of all ppl, perhaps summed it up best:

    “These games more often than not are lost not won.”

    BJ, Payton, McVay, all good, all offensive minded, all aggressive, all ‘analytic driven’…watching SB from home just like the rest of us.

    Why?

    Because they all passed up on gimme 3 points that could’ve absolutely turned the tide.

    BJ’s missing 3 points would’ve meant that 4rth down magic Caleb TD doesn’t send the game to OT [where Bears lose], rather sends them to the next round vs SEA who looked much more beatable than I surmised.

    Payton’s missing 3 points? I mean, Jesus, he’s playing with a backup QB who had ZERO live snaps in a game that ended 10-7. No, he couldn’t have guessed the 2nd half would turn into a blizzard, but that’s why you TAKE. THE. POINTS.

    McVay’s missing 3 points would’ve meant that final drive just needed to get into FG range as opposed to needing a TD with no TOs and under a minute left. Much more doable since the Rams were moving the ball well all game.

    Time mismanagement also plagued the losing HCs.

    Payton was aggressive before the half which quickly gave back the ball to Pats [with 3 TOs] who then scored what ultimately became the game-deciding TD.

    McVay had zero TOs left by the end making it nigh impossible to drive the field and score a game winning TD.

    Meanwhile, their ‘defensive’ counterparts in Vrabel and McDonald mostly called it more ‘conservatively’. [One may argue, more ‘logically’ given their victories.] Does Vrabel or McDonald call that Caleb-to-DJ killshot in OT that was INTed? Or do they simply keep handing it off for another 10-12 yards with an O that was driving? Think we know the answer, and that is why they’re in the SB.

    Vrabel, like McVay, did go for it on 4rth, but it was 4rth and inches as opposed to 4rth and 1-2 yds, and even then it nearly ended in disaster. Honestly, it looked short to me live.

    Playing ‘to win the game’ resulted in losses.

    When one thinks of Genghis Khan likely images of a marauding wild general come to mind; however, many of his victories derived from relying on his enemies’ rashness to chase his ‘fleeing nomads’. Little did the cocky suckers realize it was a feigned retreat leading to slaughter.

    Now fast forward to Hitler dogmatically sticking to the philosophy of Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg! Or alternatively, ordering his generals to hold positions to the death when a tactical retreat would’ve been optimal.

    Hope Ben Johnson takes this lesson to heart:

    a great general knows when to blitzkrieg, when to feint, and when to TAKE THE FUCKING POINTS.

  • So I ran, I ran so far away…

    So I ran, I ran so far away…

    So one of the perks of running a blog is I can post whatever the hell I want! That being said, I’m trying to steer away from ‘political’ posts. Some don’t want that in classrooms, Twitter, or dinners, and I totally get it. The comments are another matter; still, since I’m now the Blog Don, I’m trying to cut down even on that [I really hate that “moderator” tag!]. Besides, y’all know where I stand in most issues so no need.

    However, sometimes it’s hard to ignore politics. Growing up, my mom never discussed politics. A single-mom raising two kids has little time for anything but work. Her biggest worries were paying rent and being able to afford us new clothes and shoes every school year. Likewise, I was way too busy as a kid or teen to pay much attention to politics. Like most, I just wanted to hang with my friends, party, and talk to girls. CNN and Fox were for old fogies. I was truly apolitical

    When I attended college, all that changed. The environment itself is politically charged so hard to ignore. All the same, I wasn’t on a ‘team’ yet. I read Ayn Rand and Karl Marx all the same. Heck, I even picked up some of those Lyndon LaRouche pamphlets!

    “Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you. ”
    ― Pericles

    It took a while to sift through like 5,000 years of history and find some wobblily footing about the present. Even now, despite being much more knowledgeable and experienced, I sometimes wonder, “What if I’m wrong?”

    IMO, that’s a healthy attitude to maintain as it keeps one from becoming arrogant, complacent, or worse – dogmatic – perpetually frozen like those denizens in Dante’s lowest circles of hell.

    With that in mind, I’d like to share two YouTube channels that help keep me informed

    [Neither are inherently political in case you’re wondering. They both simply sum up and extract the most vital data in an easily digestible manner ]
    —————-

    The first I actually came across as a WWII aficionado, so if you’re looking for a great WWII channel, check out Mark Felton Productions

    Here they briefly cover the modern history of Iran

    The second channel I found thanks to our very own GP

    It’s the CapsianReport; they mostly dissect the geo-political facets of wars as well as the nuts and bolts from battle philosophies, numbers, assets, equipment to strategy, tactics and logistics. What I like about them is they tend not to sugar-coat topics

    So if you’re looking to catch up on a country we may possibly invade [or nuke], two great YouTube channels to enlighten us on the crisis.

    As for Bear news, the only real tidbit worth noticing is the on-going thirty 2nd rounders who have as yet to sign. Likely they want more guarantees and might be waiting for Shough’s negotiations to conclude to see if they can benefit.

    Leave it to the Bears to draft three 2nd rounders in a year when nearly all are holding out for who knows how long… enjoy your weekend!