Episode 8 · The GaS Digital / Ray Kump Era
Incompetence and Ruthlessness
Aug 30, 2016 · 1:14:43 · 24 segments, 153 moments indexed
- 1 min
Opening music, network branding for GaS Digital, and intro billing for Tim Dillon's Going To Hell.
2moments
- 0:10Tim introduces the show's premise: taking a critical look at billionaires, dictators, and CEOs that society has decided to hate.
- 0:20There are bad things and bad people in the world, and thank God for them.
- 2 min
Tim introduces investigative journalist Russ Baker, author of Family of Secrets, listing his credentials, and they banter about Baker going to the wrong address and taking the stairs.
4moments
- 0:53Tim introduces Russ Baker as an investigative reporter who has impacted the way he sees the world.
- 1:26Baker's book Family of Secrets, published in 2008, is about the Bush family and America's invisible government over the last 50 years.
- 1:48Baker is also founder of whoswhy.org, a nonprofit that Tim calls one of the best sources for reporting on the web.
- 2:07Russ Baker got the wrong address and ended up two doors down, disappointed he didn't have to walk four flights of stairs.
- 3 min
Baker explains the origin of his site Who What Why, describing frustration with pack journalism, cable news repeating the same breaking-news non-info, and childhood memories of every network running identical Vietnam War stories.
7moments
- 2:35Tim introduces the topic of Who What Why and notes the website is getting more attention on social media
- 2:57Tim praises the site for not rushing to publish stories minutes after news breaks, instead doing due diligence
- 3:19Guest contrasts their approach with cable news networks that deploy reporters who know nothing and repeat what anchors already said
- 3:59Guest explains the website came from frustration with how media is supposed to behave when covering stories
- 4:18Guest recalls as a child noticing that Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, and ABC evening news all covered the identical stories during Vietnam War
- 4:40In journalism, everybody follows the pack, and the New York Times used to set the agenda for the entire country's zeitgeist
- 5:02Guest says he never wanted to be a journalist; he wanted to be well-paid, which never worked out
who what whyNew York Timescable networksFacebookTwitterDavid BrinkleyWalter CronkiteVietnam War
- 3 min
Baker describes watching the Iraq War buildup from Belgrade with more skepticism, deciding to investigate George W. Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard record, and being told by editors that nothing he found would matter because Bush was unbeatable.
4moments
- 5:26Investigative journalism is the most expensive kind and the first thing news organizations cut, despite it being their most distinctive and proprietary material.
- 6:14Tim decided to investigate how George W. Bush became president after watching European news channels from Belgrade that were more skeptical of the Iraq War buildup.
- 6:59Bush was running for reelection after weapons of mass destruction were already discovered not to exist, facing John Kerry, a war veteran and anti-war candidate while Bush himself skipped Vietnam.
- 7:33Publications told Tim that anything he found wouldn't matter because Bush was going to win anyway, comparing it to Edwin Edwards' quote about only losing if found with a live boy or dead girl.
George W. BushJohn Kerryinvestigative journalismEdwin Edwards
- 2 min
Baker details how the investigation into Bush's AWOL National Guard service pulled him into researching the whole Bush family, discussing the incompetence-and-ruthlessness combination behind their cover-ups.
5moments
- 8:02Bush dodged the military while his father was a prominent government official and managed to cover it up.
- 8:30The story of a party guy who sobered up, found Jesus, and became president is quintessential American.
- 8:55The administration doctored evidence to get into the war and appeared intentionally unwilling to explain themselves afterward.
- 9:25They're not particularly competent at what they do — an odd mix of incompetence and ruthlessness combined.
- 9:52Tim asks whether the guest, as a reporter, considered himself in the mainstream of American political thought before writing the book.
- 2 min
Baker reflects on his own political evolution from a typical liberal journalist to someone who understood 'deep state' power dynamics, crediting this shift for both Family of Secrets and the founding of Who What Why.
5moments
- 10:08Most people in journalism and social work end up relating to the people they deal with and understanding their humanity.
- 10:56Tim didn't know anything about deep state dynamics or deep politics—how power configurations perpetuate certain policies and elites.
- 11:17The media knows nothing about the deep state, or if they do know, they don't talk about it.
- 11:42Family of Secrets is one of the only books that gave Tim chills while reading it, feeling like opening a door that hadn't been opened before.
- 12:01George H.W. Bush was sold to the public as a lovable, bumbling guy, but he actually lived a secret life for most of his life.
Family of Secretswho what whyPoppy BushDeep StateGeorge W. Bush
- 4 min
Baker lays out his theory that a Christmas 1968 fight between Poppy Bush and W over blown-off military service triggered a cover-up, including the bizarre story of W wearing his uniform on a date and getting staged dental X-rays as later 'proof' of service.
9moments
- 12:36George W. Bush went AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard during Vietnam.
- 12:57He was transferred to Alabama for a political campaign but never actually served there, according to records and interviews.
- 13:34Tim believes Bush had a massive Christmas fight with his father over his failed military service around 1968.
- 14:00The father likely discovered the son lied about his service and threatened to destroy his political future.
- 14:19Records disappeared and were destroyed in fires to cover up the military service fraud.
- 14:47Bush deliberately wore his uniform on a date in Montgomery, claiming to be doing National Guard service.
- 15:11He visited the dental clinic in uniform to create evidence of his military presence on base.
- 15:36The woman he dated was interviewed and confirmed he picked her up in uniform but made no mention of actual service.
- 16:02Tim concludes the cover-up strategy shows the father's wily intelligence, not the son's.
George W. BushTexas Air National GuardBush family
- 3 min
Discussion of how the father, not the son, had the wily mind behind the cover-up, followed by Baker recounting that he's never met any Bush family member directly, though they are aware of his book, including a strange call with a Bush-connected oil/CIA figure who asked if Baker was 'authorized.'
7moments
- 16:21George H.W. Bush admitted he had a problem with "the vision thing" and couldn't get vision about anything.
- 16:55The guest has never met any member of the Bush family despite decades studying them—they just don't invite him in.
- 17:21They are aware of him and the book, and the guest knows people extremely close to them.
- 17:40He called a figure close to Poppy Bush who used an oil company as cover for CIA intelligence work in the 1950s and 1960s.
- 18:12When the guest explained his research, the man asked: "Am I authorized to talk to you?" and then "Is this an approved biography?"
- 18:38The investment banker and oil guy called back graciously and left a message saying the old man thinks he's crazy and not to talk to him.
- 18:54Tim notes that at least George H.W. Bush knows enough about the guest to form some kind of judgment about him.
Bush familyJim Bath
- 4 min
Baker explains his central claim that George H.W. Bush was effectively a deep-cover intelligence officer for decades using oil and diplomacy as cover, why the public conflates this with his one-year CIA directorship, and compares the CIA's takeover to Putin's post-USSR Russia.
5moments
- 19:43George H.W. Bush was a deep cover intelligence officer for the majority of his life, according to the author's research.
- 20:08Bush claimed he didn't know where he was the day JFK was shot, which the author found particularly striking.
- 20:42Family of Secrets has nearly solid five-star reviews on Amazon, but critics claim they already knew everything in it.
- 21:28People confuse Bush's one year as CIA director with the claim he was a deep cover officer for 30 or 40 years using diplomat and oil man covers.
- 22:15The author argues Bush was actually put in place because he was an insider essential to an ongoing cover-up, not as a clean break for troubled CIA leadership.
George H. W. BushFamily of SecretsCIAJohn F. KennedyVladimir PutinAmazon
- 3 min
Baker recounts the Japanese TV interview where Vice President Bush blanches and can't answer where he was when JFK was shot, and describes years of research this question sent him down.
5moments
- 23:07Tim asks how the question about JFK's assassination even came up in the interview.
- 23:51Bush was asked where he was when Kennedy was shot and went white, unable to answer.
- 24:10The guest spent years trying to figure out where Bush actually was, since Bush couldn't remember.
- 24:37Tim notes that spotting inconsistencies like this in other books made him suspicious enough to dig deeper.
- 25:05The research led down a rabbit hole into a subterranean level of American history and politics the guest didn't know existed.
- 3 min
Baker details two declassified FBI memos: one naming a 'George Bush of the Central Intelligence Agency' briefed after the assassination, and another showing Bush called in from Texas with tips about a possible suspect within an hour of the shooting.
5moments
- 25:40FBI memos about JFK's assassination were released in the early 90s after Oliver Stone's film pushed for document declassification.
- 26:23One memo to J. Edgar Hoover mentioned an FBI briefing the day after the shooting that included George Bush of the CIA.
- 26:58When the memo surfaced, Vice President Bush's office claimed it must have been a different George Bush.
- 27:16Tim notes a second memo: within an hour of Kennedy being shot, a man identifying himself as George H.W. Bush called an FBI office in Texas saying he had information on a possible suspect.
- 27:39Tim finds it remarkable that Bush, who claims not to remember where he was during the assassination, was allegedly trying to help solve the crime.
George H. W. BushOliver StoneJ. Edgar HooverJFK assassination
- 3 min
Baker compares the press to a scared Don Knotts unwilling to break from the pack, then digs into how Bush reported an associate named James Parrott to the FBI as a possible JFK suspect despite Parrott having no connection to Dallas, tying it to institutions' general need for control.
6moments
- 28:07The media is terrified of almost everything, like Don Knotts—quivering and afraid of its shadow despite acting tough.
- 28:35The whole media pack seeks to tear apart anyone who breaks from the group, so journalists won't go out on their own with stories.
- 29:03Journalists know big stories early and talk about them privately but won't report them because they fear trouble until the story hits critical mass.
- 29:41Tim addresses whether corporate consolidation of media represents a deliberate conspiracy or just the effect of profit-seeking models.
- 30:00Every institution, from families to restaurants to corporations, seeks to maintain order through control and discourages dissent and questioning.
- 30:26Corporate team-building and charitable initiatives are carefully calculated management tactics designed to keep employees happy, not from genuine care.
Don KnottsLewinsky
- 3 min
Baker walks through how the man who logged Bush's tip and the aide sent to bring in Parrott were both close Bush associates, one even serving as Parrott's alibi, and describes the archival, door-knocking research process behind uncovering all this over five years.
6moments
- 30:50James Parrott called the Houston FBI about hateful rhetoric, but called the wrong office—Kennedy was shot in Dallas, not Houston.
- 31:25The FBI agent who took Parrott's call was actually his friend, and the report falsely listed George H.W. Bush as calling from Tyler, Texas instead of Dallas.
- 32:08It became clear Parrott hadn't done anything, yet Bush—who claimed barely knowing him—had him brought in for a casual chat rather than a formal interrogation.
- 32:53Instead of kicking down doors like on TV, authorities simply drove a supposed presidential murder suspect to the Secret Service office to talk with him.
- 33:22The man driving Parrott claimed to be his alibi witness—he said he was at Parrott's house during the shooting—and also happened to be Bush's chief aide in the Houston Republican Party.
- 33:46The research involved internet searches combined with archives, microfiche, old classified ads, interviews, and door-knocking across five years.
George H. W. BushJames ParrottKennedy assassinationTyler, Texas
- 3 min
Baker explains why he's now writing a book on JFK, argues investigative journalists avoid the topic out of fear of being branded kooks, and discusses how figures like Alex Jones and David Icke discredit legitimate inquiry by mixing real information with lizard-people-style nonsense.
5moments
- 34:35Tim's guest explains why the Kennedy assassination became important to his research after initially dismissing it like most people do.
- 35:00Most journalists aren't well-read on history and simply repeat the official narrative about Oswald because they fear standing out from the pack.
- 35:43Guest's work on the Bush family led to discovering hidden twists in history that fundamentally reshape understanding of who we are and where we're going.
- 36:30Tim notes the problem: conspiracy researchers on YouTube like Alex Jones mix real information with complete fabrication, alternating between cogent analysis and lunacy.
- 37:01David Icke covers overlapping power structures and family secrets but claims everyone involved is actually a lizard person, making the whole thing cartoonish.
Kennedy assassinationAlex JonesWatergateHillary ClintonLee Harvey OswaldBush familyDavid IckeFamily of Secrets
- 4 min
Baker describes being warned by publishing insiders to cut the Kennedy/Watergate material from his book, and lays out his belief that JFK was removed by the same class of powerful interests that topple leaders elsewhere, with critics never engaging on substance.
6moments
- 38:08Guest argues that conspiracy theorists mixing good research with bad theories serve the interests of those who want to suppress the truth, whether intentionally or not.
- 38:37Guest describes the professional isolation that came from pursuing JFK assassination research, despite having built a solid reputation at major news organizations.
- 39:11Publishers and industry figures warned the guest directly: Kennedy and Watergate material would destroy the book's chances or his career.
- 39:40Tim notes that Family of Secrets received poor reception despite being meticulously researched with over a thousand footnotes from a respected publisher.
- 40:01Critics attack the guest's work by name-calling and dismissing it as paranoid rather than addressing the actual documents and memos cited.
- 40:49Guest states his belief that JFK was removed from office by the same power structures that make a business of overthrowing world leaders.
- 3 min
Baker describes the amorphous ruling class as not literal secret societies but overlapping banking, military, intelligence, and resource-extraction interests who form consensus the way anyone with shared interests does, only with real power to act on it.
6moments
- 41:45The ruling elite isn't shape-shifting lizards or a small secret society—it's society at the highest levels perpetuating itself.
- 42:06These people will sue each other and hire private investigators, but can break bread together when they share a common enemy.
- 42:43Bilderberg and the World Economic Forum aren't as sinister as people think—just wealthy people hanging out discussing common interests, like working-class people in a bar.
- 43:07When powerful people talk and agree that someone like Kennedy is a loose cannon, things begin to happen.
- 43:35The idea of removing a democratically elected leader shouldn't shock people given this group has done it all over the world.
- 44:02Most people in elite circles have clean hands because they don't know and don't want to know what's happening.
Bilderbergnatural resources extractionKennedyThe Rothschilds
- 3 min
Baker explains how ex-special-forces personnel become available for extralegal violence, then argues that Trump vs. Clinton is largely bread-and-circuses distraction since neither could meaningfully alter core U.S. policy on resource extraction, military dominance, or finance.
6moments
- 44:29Military training means never asking questions, so soldiers follow orders to fire at targets without hesitation.
- 45:06Tim asks whether the guest gets frustrated hearing average people debate whether Trump said something racist instead of discussing what actually matters.
- 45:34People tell the guest they should support Hillary because Trump is dangerous, but the guest sees the election as entertainment and distraction from real policy.
- 45:54It doesn't matter whether Hillary or Trump wins—they're constrained by decades of American policy on resource extraction, military control, and financial dominance.
- 46:28The only differences between candidates are how they talk about hot-button issues that rile people up, but even there their options are limited.
- 46:54Tim brings up the death of journalist Michael Hastings and asks whether the guest worries about the risks of writing about powerful people.
- 4 min
Baker discusses concern for his own safety, why he built Who What Why to be reader-funded and resilient, and touts the outlet's early reporting on Michael Hastings' death, the FBI's prior relationships with the Boston Marathon and Orlando shooters.
9moments
- 47:18Built WhoWhatWhy.org to train investigative reporters and insulate them from corporate pressure or easy decapitation.
- 47:47Michael Hastings was most likely murdered, yet people are too apathetic to care about the evidence.
- 48:11WhoWhatWhy was first to investigate the FBI's prior relationships with the Boston Marathon bombers, Orlando shooter, and others.
- 48:36Hastings had angered the military and had FBI and CIA angles to his death—could have been any of them, like Kennedy.
- 49:20Authorities solved the Boston Marathon bombing impossibly fast, which always makes him want to investigate further.
- 49:42The official account looked too neat and unverified; echoes the exact pattern used 50 years earlier with Lee Harvey Oswald.
- 49:55Both Tsarnaev and Oswald had been to Russia and had family members connected to intelligence.
- 50:16Attempting to contact the Tsarnaev family leads to trouble; there's a real clampdown on that subject.
- 50:27Whatever happened at Boston Marathon is so problematic for the state that tremendous resources went into ensuring nobody ever figures it out.
who what whyMichael HastingsLee Harvey OswaldBoston Marathon bombingTsarnaev
- 4 min
Baker details his skepticism about the fast official narrative of the Boston bombing, parallels to Oswald, the crackdown on questioning it, and the strange shifting story of carjacking victim 'Danny' who never gave his last name.
9moments
- 50:41Tim explains how governments must appear in control or lose public trust, and why they'd cover up accidental catastrophes like providing bomb-making materials.
- 51:18Met an actor at a party who was cast to play Tsarnaev in a film about the bombing and discussed the police chief's tour with him.
- 51:41The carjacking victim 'Danny' never received a last name, never appeared publicly despite his centrality to the case—unlike every other witness from famous crimes.
- 52:03Danny's story changed radically across interviews, yet media outlets refuse to investigate or even discuss the inconsistencies.
- 52:52A Northeastern University professor appears constantly as an expert whenever media covers the bombing, suggesting stage management and psychological operations.
- 53:02Tim calls the bombing narrative a PSYOPS production, noting most journalists don't understand how military and CIA departments specialize in controlling information and emotion.
- 53:13Media spotlights one victim to manufacture outrage while ignoring thousands of other bomb victims, many killed by American forces.
- 53:42Multiple mass shooters—Omar Mateen, James Holmes, others—previously tried joining the military or police, suggesting they rejected official channels for something else.
- 54:08Tim speculates whether rejected military applicants end up in black ops programs or mind control experiments that go wrong, effectively becoming unwitting guinea pigs.
PSYOPsJames HolmesOmar MateenZarnayev
- 5 min
Baker discusses media stage-management of narratives (calling it PSYOPs), the pattern of mass shooters who tried and failed to join the military or police, and connects this to MKUltra and the Church Committee's revelations about mind-control experiments and figures like Hinckley and Sirhan Sirhan.
8moments
- 54:25MK Ultra was a real CIA program discovered by Senator Frank Church's committee in the 1970s, where agents testified they were trying to create a Manchurian candidate.
- 55:00Tim notes the Hinckley family's connection to the Bush family in the Reagan assassination attempt, framing it as a suspicious coincidence people dismiss.
- 55:17LA coroner said Robert Kennedy was shot from behind his head, but Sirhan Sirhan was in front of him — yet the case never gets properly investigated.
- 55:43WikiLeaks initially changed the dynamic when mainstream outlets like the New York Times eventually joined in, though they later turned on Assange.
- 56:27Chelsea Manning took bigger risks than Snowden and her life has been destroyed through humiliation and horrible prison conditions.
- 57:18People claim the government is too incompetent to keep secrets, but the CIA successfully concealed coups in Iran and Guatemala, the Gulf of Tonkin staging, for 30-50 years.
- 57:53Books and the CIA itself deliberately portray the agency as somewhat incompetent to obscure the reality that they intentionally cause harm, not just mess up good intentions.
- 58:42Secrets stay hidden because whistleblowers face severe consequences; people inside institutions rarely speak up, whether in corporations, police departments, or prisons.
CIAChelsea ManningMK UltraNew York TimesFrank ChurchSirhan SirhanEdward SnowdenJohn Hinckley Jr.+10 more
- 4 min
Baker assesses WikiLeaks' real but limited impact, praises Chelsea Manning as taking the biggest risk of the leakers, discusses Barrett Brown, and pivots to why intelligence agencies are portrayed as merely incompetent rather than malicious.
9moments
- 59:19Serious investigative reporters like Jane Mayer and Seymour Hersh shy away from certain stories due to fear of professional reputation damage.
- 59:41Robert Caro's LBJ biography reveals him as corrupt and murderous but stops short at the Kennedy assassination—a line even great writers won't cross.
- 1:00:15Tim asks what drives someone like his guest to push forward where others won't: refusing the warnings and just going for the truth.
- 1:00:42The Kennedy assassination is the key to understanding the death of real democracy in America half a century ago.
- 1:01:19Kennedy wasn't necessarily a savior figure but rather someone disrupting forces that opposed him—the real story is what he was disrupting.
- 1:01:49The same people who shape public perceptions do it on everything, which means almost everything is wrong to some extent, including the Kennedy narrative.
- 1:02:01Kennedy was actually quite courageous and admirable with genuine ideas he wanted to execute while balancing reelection and not alienating the ruling class.
- 1:02:34According to Family of Secrets, the guest figured out where George H.W. Bush was on the day of the Kennedy assassination.
- 1:03:05Bush wasn't particularly effective as a policy maker—he lacked the vision thing—but was a key architect of Iran-Contra and a networking guy who knew how to bring people on board.
John F. KennedyLyndon B. JohnsonKennedy assassinationGeorge H. W. BushJane MayerRobert CaroSeymour HershOliver Stone+2 more
- 4 min
Baker compares Bill Clinton's cooperation with the national security state to Jimmy Carter's one-term punishment for pushing back, then discusses techniques for getting audiences past cognitive dissonance and denial about how power really works.
10moments
- 1:03:44Bill Clinton made no efforts to take on the national security state, while Jimmy Carter did and was limited to a single term.
- 1:04:02Clinton passed welfare and banking reforms that the wealthy wanted, making him a loyal cooperator with the system.
- 1:04:30People are reluctant to believe structural critiques because everyone needs to believe something to get up in the morning.
- 1:04:54Events like the Boston Marathon bombing and 9/11 aren't fully investigated, and the official narrative doesn't hold up—the truth lives somewhere in between.
- 1:05:42Tim has spent years studying how to deal with people's cognitive dissonance during public speaking.
- 1:06:03Americans don't want to hear how the sausage is made because we have artificially subsidized good lives.
- 1:06:26Liberals who love Hillary Clinton are part of the problem too—they see themselves as virtuous while propping up the corrupt system through their careers as corporate lawyers.
- 1:07:15Tim uses a house-fire analogy: people won't ignore flames at their door, so we should pay attention to threats licking at our doors constantly.
- 1:07:40When people discover the truth and everything starts making sense, it's electrifying because suddenly they know what to do and who's responsible.
- 1:07:53Societal depression stems from nothing making sense; understanding structural problems gives people direction and accountability.
Bill ClintonHillary ClintonJimmy Carter9/11Boston Marathon bombingWall StreetWhole Foodsnational security state
- 3 min
Baker discusses fears that success invites attempts at co-optation, revisits his forensic doubts about Michael Hastings' car crash, and appeals for donations and volunteers to sustain Who What Why's ad-free model.
7moments
- 1:08:16Tim describes how establishment media promotes competing journalistic brands to marginalize independent voices like Russ Baker's work.
- 1:08:42When independent journalists gain traction, the system will come at them with everything to neutralize the threat.
- 1:09:03Tim asks whether Michael Hastings's death was a convenient accident or something more sinister, given his enemies.
- 1:09:42The forensic question: does a Mercedes engine get violently ejected when a car simply hits a tree?
- 1:09:56Hastings's neighbor reported he suspected someone had been tampering with his car before his death.
- 1:10:11Responsible journalism on difficult topics requires funding, teams of people, and focus—resources most outlets don't provide for investigations.
- 1:10:36People claim to support good journalism but don't actually step up to fund it because we haven't trained ourselves to back what we believe in.
Family of SecretsRuss BakerHastings
- 4 min
Baker highlights the strange 'Barbara's Big Hair Day' memo purportedly written by Barbara Bush from a hair salon the day Kennedy was shot, questions its authenticity, gives advice to aspiring investigative journalists, and the episode closes with plugs for the book and site.
8moments
- 1:11:04The Barbara Bush memo from Family of Secrets is Tim's favorite part of the book, written from a hair salon in Texas while Kennedy was being shot.
- 1:11:50Russ Baker titled the section "Barbara's Big Hair Day" — a memo Barbara supposedly wrote to her children explaining where George H.W. Bush was during the assassination.
- 1:12:17Baker suggests the letter reads like it was written later by someone else, not authentically by Barbara Bush, and invites readers to decide for themselves.
- 1:12:58Tim asks Baker what advice he'd give to aspiring investigative journalists trying to do this work despite how daunting it is.
- 1:13:09Baker recommends getting a day job delivering pizza while volunteering for Who, What, Why, his largely pro-bono news organization.
- 1:13:42Tim proposes doing a comedy show fundraiser for Who, What, Why with big comedians who have the platforms to help.
- 1:14:04Family of Secrets is available everywhere; Baker's next book is about a year to a year and a half away.
- 1:14:15Tim closes by saying Baker's research is so amazing it keeps you up at night, but in a good way.