Stay ConnectedJoin PI Ed Opperman with expert guests and authors as they discuss true crime stories in the news, conspiracy theories, issues of social injustice and NWO resistance.
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In the gray hues of Seattle, two men, Steven and Scott, are locked in a perilous journey beyond the law's reach. Entangled in a world of bank heists and fleeting loyalties, they chase redemption in a society relentless in pursuit. Amid adrenaline-fueled escapades and moral dilemmas, their kinship deepens, culminating in an unexpected bond. The tale traces their odyssey against the unforgiving backdrop of the law, culminating in the tragic end of Hollywood, a man who lived and died on his own terms, leaving a legacy entwined with the lives he touched.
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“A project of epic proportions, pulled off with remarkable élan.”
—Kirkus ReviewsA gripping exposé of deception, cult power, and the long shadow of Carlos Castaneda, the man behind the biggest literary hoax of the twentieth century.Twenty years in the making, American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda unravels the story of the secretive faux-anthropologist who pulled off one of the greatest literary hoaxes in modern history. Both an investigation of the techniques employed by charismatic narcissists and a study of the cult dynamics that still shape American life, American Trickster defies conventional biography. It emerges as a chilling allegory for the Trump era, a trenchant critique of academia’s complicity in distorting and erasing Indigenous culture, and a deep dive into the mechanics of New Age spiritual abuse.Carlos Castaneda, born in Peru in 1925, fled to the U.S. in 1951, escaping responsibility for a child he fathered with a thirteen-year-old girl. He changed his name repeatedly, worked as a taxi driver, studied creative writing, and eventually enrolled in anthropology at UCLA in 1959. In 1968, the University of California Press published his first book, The Teachings of Don Juan, which described his supposed encounters with a Yaqui shaman who initiated him into a secret world of peyote-fueled visions and ancient knowledge never before shared with a “Westerner.”Castaneda was quickly hailed as a revolutionary figure. Admirers ranged from John Lennon and Joni Mitchell to Federico Fellini, George Lucas, and Octavio Paz. His books became international bestsellers and remain the most popular titles ever published on Native American spirituality—despite having little to no connection to actual Indigenous practices.For a time, his truth went unchallenged. Then, in 1973, Time magazine published a searing exposé revealing that Castaneda wasn’t who he claimed to be. As his academic credibility unraveled, he turned inward, building a secretive spiritual group that blurred the line between fiction and reality. Castaneda’s followers, mostly women, became living extensions of the characters in his books—devoted disciples who often abandoned their former lives entirely.By the 1990s, as book sales declined, the group emerged publicly, offering workshops and seminars to thousands across the globe. When Castaneda was diagnosed with liver cancer, he told his disciples he would not die, but burn from within and ascend to another realm—and invited them to join him. After his death in 1998, five of his closest female followers vanished. They are widely believed to have taken their own lives.
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The Proud Boys is a far-right neo-fascist organization that admits only men as members and promotes political violence. It is based in the United States and has a presence in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The group was started in 2016 by Vice Media co-founder and former commentator Gavin McInnes, taking its name from the song "Proud of Your Boy" from the Disney film Aladdin. Proud Boys emerged as part of the alt-right, but in early 2017, McInnes began distancing himself from the alt-right, saying the alt-right's focus is race while his focus is what he defines as "Western values". This re-branding effort intensified after the Unite the Right Rally.
The group sees men — especially white men — and Western culture as under siege; their views have elements of white genocide conspiracy theory. While the group claims it does not support white supremacist views, its members often participate in racist rallies, events, and organizations. The organization glorifies violence, and members engage in violence at events it attends; the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has called it an "alt-right fight club".
In late November 2018, a news story which attracted national attention reported that the FBI classified the Proud Boys as an extremist group with ties to white nationalism; however, two weeks later, an FBI official denied that it was their intent to classify the entire group in this manner, and ascribed the mistake to a misunderstanding. The official said that their intent was to characterize the possible threat from certain members of the group.
The organization has been described as a hate group by NPR's The Takeawayand the Southern Poverty Law Center. In February 2019, despite having claimed to have broken ties with the group in November 2018, McInnes filed a federal defamation suit against the SPLC over their "hate group" designation,
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The Proud Boys is a far-right neo-fascist organization that admits only men as members and promotes political violence. It is based in the United States and has a presence in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The group was started in 2016 by Vice Media co-founder and former commentator Gavin McInnes, taking its name from the song "Proud of Your Boy" from the Disney film Aladdin. Proud Boys emerged as part of the alt-right, but in early 2017, McInnes began distancing himself from the alt-right, saying the alt-right's focus is race while his focus is what he defines as "Western values". This re-branding effort intensified after the Unite the Right Rally.
The group sees men — especially white men — and Western culture as under siege; their views have elements of white genocide conspiracy theory. While the group claims it does not support white supremacist views, its members often participate in racist rallies, events, and organizations. The organization glorifies violence, and members engage in violence at events it attends; the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has called it an "alt-right fight club".
In late November 2018, a news story which attracted national attention reported that the FBI classified the Proud Boys as an extremist group with ties to white nationalism; however, two weeks later, an FBI official denied that it was their intent to classify the entire group in this manner, and ascribed the mistake to a misunderstanding. The official said that their intent was to characterize the possible threat from certain members of the group.
The organization has been described as a hate group by NPR's The Takeawayand the Southern Poverty Law Center. In February 2019, despite having claimed to have broken ties with the group in November 2018, McInnes filed a federal defamation suit against the SPLC over their "hate group" designation,
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
"When, if ever, does a thought cross the line and become a crime?" Raw Deal is the untold story of former New York City police officer Gil Valle, who in 2012 became known throughout the world as "The Cannibal Cop." It is the controversial saga of a man who was imprisoned for "thought crimes", and a look into a world of dark sexuality and violence that most listeners don't know exists, except maybe in their nightmares. After Valle's arrest, media coverage exploded in a frenzy of lurid tabloid headlines and stories about the cop charged with planning to kidnap, torture, rape...and eat...women, including his own wife. But here's the fascinating part: There was no such plan in reality. Valle was simply engaging in his own private fantasies, albeit fantasies that are abhorrent and grotesque, and for that he was thrown into prison. Valle faced life in prison for his charges, and served 21 months for nothing more than having online chats about his fantasies. He was finally exonerated of all charges. Raw Deal raises the question: When does thought become a crime? It will challenge the listener's beliefs about free speech, the right to privacy, and government's role in watching over us. Warning: This audiobook contains graphic fantasy material of a sexual and violent nature. It is intended for mature audiences.
https://amzn.to/4uzDEr1
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