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A daily brief about the world's most dangerous places from international war correspondent Chuck Holton
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Thursday Dec 20, 2018
Thursday Dec 20, 2018
Today on the Hot Zone: The US is paying Mexico 5 billion to stop immigration. Wait, what? And this year's Hurricane survivors forgotten by the media, but still picking up the pieces. We'll break it all down for you on the Hot Zone.
Hi everyone. It's December 20, 2018. I'm Chuck Holton. Thanks for joining us on this, the 10th episode of the Hot Zone. I've been very pleased by the great response we are getting on our facebook page and on youtube. And thanks to those of you who have jumped right in to support us at Patreon.com/hotzone. I mean for the price of a cup of coffee every month, we're already helping people who are being affected by the news. I'll have a report for you soon about that little honduran single mother we helped, and her sweet little girl Noely Monserrat. They're going to have a good Christmas because of you.
Twenty nine years ago today I was here in Panama for day one of the US invasion to oust Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. I devoted half of the show yesterday to telling part of that story, so if you missed it, make sure you go check out episode nine.
Now, on to the news. The news broke on Wednesday that the US is preparing a full withdrawal of all US troops in Syria. I also just did an in-depth look at the situation there on Episode 8, but this sudden announcement kind of throws a wrench in the works over there. Especially concerning is what it means for the Kurds in Iraq and Syria...because without the US there as a buffer, Turkey may feel emboldened to start attacking them, and that won't be good. I'll keep an eye on that, and am hoping to go to Syria and report on this directly next month.
Yesterday the Drudge report was running this headline which made me do a double take. It says the US is giving 4.8 billion to Mexico. Which is coincidentally about the same amount of money the Trump administration has been threatening to shut down the government over in order to secure funding for the wall. So the headline makes it look like the President caved and gave up plans to build the wall, and not only that somehow had that much money available to cut a check to Mexico. Even the AP article on the subject led with the headline: "US pledges $10.6B aid for Central America, southern Mexico."
This is the epitome of dishonest reporting. Because most people will not read any further than the headline. But it didn't take much journalisming to figure out the details of the actual story. Here it is: NO, the president didn't just cut a check for ten billion dollars of the people's treasure to Central America. No, the president didn't just throw in the towel on building the border wall.
There are a few government run-organizations that actually make money and don't cost the US taxpayer anything. Some federal law enforcement agencies, for example, bring in more money than they spend through seizures of drug money and property owned by dealers they arrest. Another agency like that is called the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, or OPIC. It's a US government agency that gives loans to US businesses that want to invest overseas in developing markets. They do this to help advance US public policy and National Security. And they actually make a profit because the businesses they help get started pay back their loans with interest. So they don't really cost the US taxpayer anything.
The pledges being reported in the news are being made through OPIC. that agency has struck a deal with the Mexican government and other central american countries to increase the number of loans and investments they will encourage in the region, to try and increase economic opportunity for central americans through the investment of US businesses. That's exactly what I've been saying is one way we can discourage people from coming to the US looking for jobs. And it won't cost the US taxpayer a dime...if anything it will make a few US taxpayers money by helping them start businesses in Central America. Hey, maybe I should ask for a loan to expand my business here!
[chuck explains his production company business in Panama]
One of my best friends here in Panama Graham Davis, came up with what I think is an even better long-term solution to help people in Latin America not have to run to the United States, but to help them right where they are.
So the headlines are really egregious in this case. The Trump administration is getting US businesses to help address the "push factors" that cause people to leave their homes and come to the US looking for opportunity. That's a smart move. And it doesn't mean giving your tax dollars to Mexico. And they are still pushing hard for funding for the wall.
Now, let's take a look at something the media has all but forgotten. This year the US was hit by two major hurricanes, first when Hurricane Florence pounded the coasts of North and South Carolina with epic rains and flooding, and a few weeks later Hurricane Michael came ashore in the Florida panhandle and all but wiped some beach communities off the map. I was there for both storms, and actually rode out Hurricane Florence with my daughter Amy at ground zero in Surf City, North Carolina. Amy thought it was a great adventure.
[amy out in the storm video]
The flooding really did a lot of damage though, and there are still people who are living in motels and shelters because their homes are unlivable. But local volunteers and businesses are donating money and goods to give these families a little bit of joy this Christmas. In Lumberton, North Carolina, community groups came together this week and threw a huge Christmas parties for 35 families who still don't have a place to live. I love seeing stuff like this. Don't you?
A couple weeks later I rushed to North Florida to report on the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. The destruction there was quite a bit worse that what we saw with Florence, because the incredible winds spawned by that storm were just unbelievable. I mean, I saw a cargo train that had been tipped on it's side by the force of the wind. How hard does the wind have to blow to flip over a train?
I spent three days flying around in a helicopter surveying the damage. There was just so much destruction, and I'm sure the people on the ground wondered how to even begin putting their lives back together. But again, it was gratifying to see so many people who gave of their own time and resources to drive into the affected areas with food, water and help. See if you ask me, this is what makes America the greatest country on earth. It's the goodness of our people. I have followed wars and disasters around the planet for fifteen years, and I've never seen any other country where so many people rush in to help people they don't even know when they are in need, even at great personal expense. But now that the media have moved on, the needs in North Florida are still there, and people need to know about it. Here's one example:
Now I spent several days with Joe Hurston during Hurricane Michael, and he's the real deal. He builds these amazing water filters at his home, then raises money so he can give them away to people in need. I love that. If you'd like to partner with Joe or find out more about his ministry, just go to airmobile.org. And if you'd like to help that man in the video, you can donate to support this podcast at patreon.com/hotzone, or paypal at hotzoneholton@gmail.com, and any money we receive before Christmas, I'll send on to Louis White the third to help his family with their ongoing recovery.
Well there's so much more we could talk about today, but we're out of time. I hope you are getting into the Christmas spirit, and what better way to do that than to help someone in need! So find somebody in your neighborhood, or like I said, donate to this podcast and we'll help some people together. Because I don't just want to make the news, I want to make the news good.
I'm Chuck Holton. See you tomorrow. Thanks for being with us on the Hot Zone.
End Notes:
Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
Today: Mexico's murder rate is even worse than the last time you checked. Not great publicity for the tourist trade. And it was the same way ten years ago. And looking back on the Invasion of Panama, 29 years ago tonight.
I'm Chuck Holton, and this is the Hot Zone.
Thanks for joining us. An American tourist named Tatiana Mirutenko - a beautiful 27-year-old newlywed was out celebrating her first wedding anniversary with her husband and a few friends last saturday night in an upscale part of Mexico City. As they were leaving the restaurant, two men rode up on a motorcycle and opened fire at the bouncer standing at the door. The young American woman was caught by a stray bullet, tragically ending her life.
It's a horrific story. We hear about the rising crime rate in Mexico, now reaching record levels with nearly 30,000 murders and assassinations happening there every year. Once-booming tourist destinations like Acapulco and Cancun are now becoming virtual ghost towns as cartels engage in gory turf wars, and in far too many cases, innocents are being caught in the crossfire. But still, should you be worried?
Today there are more than a million American citizens living in Mexico, mostly retirees who moved south for the warmer climate and lower cost of living. It's really amazing considering that violence like we are seeing today has literally been going on for decades. In fact, here's a piece I made about this issue ten years ago that could literally have been filmed this week.
Well, if you are planning a trip south of the border, here are a few things you need to understand about violence in Mexico. This holds true for most hot zones around the world, too.
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The majority of the violence is drug related. Most killings are between rival narco traffickers, and if you stay away from them and the places they congregate, you are probably okay. As my friend John Correia likes to stay, remember the rules of stupid. Don't go stupid places with stupid people at stupid times and do stupid things. You can probably get away with breaking one aspect of those rules, but two or more starts to put you in danger.
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The violence is typically compartmentalized into a few bad areas within the country. In Mexico, if you stay away from the border areas and places like Acapulco and Cancun, you would probably find Mexico to be fairly safe. I took my family to live in Sonora state one winter and it was very peaceful. We heard that the area we were in was kind of declared off limits by the cartels.
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As we can see with the story of this American woman killed on Saturday, Whether you are in Mazatlan or Memphis, stuff happens No matter how careful you are. For that reason, you should always be prepared wherever you go. Carrying a tourniquet, for example might be a small inconvenience, but could literally save a life.
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When it's your time, it's your time. Make sure you've said what needs to be said to your loved ones, and you're spiritually prepared for the end of your life because just like that unfortunate young lady Tatiana Mirutenko, you never know when your day is coming. Make sure you've committed your life to Jesus. That's got benefits both right now and after your day comes and they put you in the ground.
Okay, let's move on to Panama, where I happen to be located at the moment. In 1989, this country was ruled by a dictator - Manuel Noriega. He'd been in power since 1983 and was known for unspeakable cruelty towards his rivals. He was the quintessential tin pot dictator. He was as corrupt as the day is long and everybody knew it, but that didn't stop the CIA from using him as an asset in the war on drugs. In fact, he'd been working covertly for the CIA since the 1950's.
But Noriega was playing both sides of the fence, amassing a huge personal fortune through illicit drug and weapons sales. So in 1988 he was indicted by federal grand juries in Miami and Tampa on charges of racketeering, drug smuggling, and money laundering, and then-president George H. W. Bush decided he had to go.
I was a young Ranger at the time, a specialist in the 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia. I'd just successfully graduated Ranger school and had been given the position of team leader in my squad. We had been briefed on the deteriorating relations between the US and Panama, which was significant considering the United States had tens of thousands of troops stationed there already to protect the Panama Canal. I myself had already deployed twice to Panama to attend the Jungle Warfare Training School at Fort Sherman, and so we were very familiar with the country already.
On December 17, 1989, which was a Sunday, I went by my barracks to pack some clothes for Christmas leave. Instead, we got locked down and could not communicate with the outside world. Two days later on December 19th, we were loading C-130s and C-141s with our kit loaded down with live ammo, headed for Panama.
It was actually about 1 in the morning when we jumped, which means technically it was December 20th. I remember when the jumpmasters opened the doors of the aircraft six minutes out, and the rush of tropical humidity that flooded the bird. We recited the ranger creed, shouting over the roar of the aircraft engines, and then stood up, hooked up and shuffled to the door. One minute out we passed a tiny island just offshore from the airfield at Rio Hato. There was a flash we later heard was from two 500 pound bombs dropped by American F-117 Stealth bombers, the first time those planes were ever used in combat. And just seconds later, the green light and Rangers started stepping out into the night sky over Rio Hato. The first American airborne combat mass-tactical parachute jump since grenada in 1983.
I lost a good friend that night. Phillip Scott Lear had been my Ranger buddy in Ranger school just months before. I sat next to him on the plane and shook his hand before we jumped. He was shot in the neck and killed not long after he hit the ground.
That's the kind of experience that shapes a man. Changes him. I aged that night. It's an experience I'd never want to repeat. But we did a lot of good for the Panamanian people, and for America by taking out that evil drug kingpin turned dictator.
My buddies who were there still get in touch every year on this day, to remember what we did as young men so many years ago. I always take a moment and remember my buddy Lear. It helps me avoid taking my life for granted, remembering his sacrifice. Lear didn't get to get married, to have a family. To see his children grow up. Whatever problems I have, Lear reminds me I have so much to be thankful for.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for being with me. Are you enjoying this podcast? If so, would you consider buying me a cup of coffee by becoming a subscriber? It's only three dollars a month on my patreon page, and you'll get some perks too, like free copies of my books and more. Just go to Patreon.com/hotzone. You can help for free by simply liking and sharing this podcast with your friends. I'm enjoying making it, I hope you are enjoying it too.
Have a great day, and I'll see you tomorrow on the Hot Zone.
End Notes:
Tuesday Dec 18, 2018
Tuesday Dec 18, 2018
Coming up on Today's podcast: The end is near for ISIS - again? We're going to take a deep dive into what's going on in Syria today, and more! It's Tuesday, December 18. And you're in the Hot Zone.
Hi there. I'm Chuck Holton. Sometimes it feels like deja vu all over again. We've been hearing that ISIS was on the ropes for years now, as it seems like every military in the world has been engaged in defeating the brutal terror organization. I was there in early 2016 when ISIS was pushed out of the Northern Iraqi city of Sinjar. I want to show you what that was like because this story will help you understand what we've been up against.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-1oRnCHHNM] 6 minutes.
Now, the US-trained and equipped SDF forces are close to defeating the last ISIS stronghold in Syria, having just captured the town of Hajin, which is basically the last urban area that was controlled by the terrorists. ISIS is reported to have several hundred fighters left, but these are the absolute die-hards, many of them chechens and other foreigners who have nowhere else to go. And they are going to fight to the last man.
The march of ISIS into Iraq and Syria has brought untold suffering for millions of people. I'd say they are the Nazis of our generation. And so I think it's an easy case to make that the blood and treasure we've expended to rid the world of them has been worth it. But once they are gone, there is still more to do, which I'll talk about in a minute.
Today, we have about 2,000 US forces on the ground in Syria, mostly special operations and some Marines. Now our guys aren't really supposed to be engaging the enemy directly, but are there supporting what is called the Syrian Defense Forces, which are made up of Kurdish fighters from the YPG.
Now the media hasn't done a very good job of explaining the very complicated relationships in that region. So let me try to make it as simple as possible.
Everyone hates ISIS, right? And since they took over large swaths of Syria and Iraq in 2014, pretty much all the players in the region have come in to fight them. You have the Syrian government, which has also been at war with rebel groups in that country since 2012, before ISIS got a foothold. Then there are the Americans, who say we are there just to fight ISIS and nothing more. But that's not the whole truth. See, Once ISIS is completely routed, and that may happen in the next couple of months, there are a lot of players who have designs on that part of the world - Iran, Iraq, the Kurds, Syria, Russia, and Turkey.
So Russia supports Syria. Turkey supports the Syrian rebels, who are Arab Muslims. The US supports the Kurds, who are our only real friends in that region.
But the Turks hate the Kurds, and are threatening to invade the area where the US and Kurdish fighters are if the US does not make the Kurdish forces lay down their arms. The Russians have quietly been supporting the Iranians, who would love to get some bases closer to the border with Israel. For their part, the Israelis drop in once in awhile and obliterate Iranian attempts at building bases, and the Russians have tried to use mercenaries in the past to attack US forces and perhaps get us to leave. That didn't work out so well and resulted in hundreds of dead mercenaries.
Turkey wants the US to leave so they can have free reign to pound on the Kurds. And if all that wasn't complicated enough, the Kurdish fighters include some elements of the Kurdish Workers Party, known as the PKK, which has been designated a terrorist group by the United States Government. So there's that.
As you can see, this whole region is a powder keg, and it's likely the violence won't end with the final demise of ISIS. And speaking of ISIS, just because we rout them out of their last remaining stronghold doesn't mean the terror group is gone for good. They are still waging an insurgent campaign inside Iraq, with car bombings and assassinations happening on an almost weekly basis.
Add to all this the deep-seated animosities which have been nurtured for centuries between Sunni and Shia muslims, Yezidis, Druze, Turkmen, and others in that region, and you'd be safe to say that on some level, everyone hates everyone over there. Not exactly a road map for peace and tranquility.
The US needs to keep troops in the region at the moment for the same reason we still have more than 23,000 troops in South Korea. They are there to deter powerful bad actors from going after our allies in the region.
The Kurds are the most reasonable of all the players in that area, and the United States would probably have a permanent base in Erbil if it weren't for the fact that putting one there would make Iraq mad, and we still need to be friends with them even though they are pretty much controlled by Iran now.
Yes, it's a mess. Welcome to the middle east. And as always, it's the innocents in the area who suffer the most. Estimates are that over 400,000 civilians have died in Syria alone over the past 8 years, and tens of thousands more in Iraq. More than 12 million Syrians have been driven from their homes. It's hard to imagine the scale of human misery that has affected that many people. How do you even begin to help?
Millions have fled to other countries, but that's not a viable long term solution. Like many evil dictatorships, the government of Syrian president Bashaar Al Assad will have to eventually collapse under the weight of it's own evil, and the Trump administration's policy should probably be aimed mostly at making sure that happens.
Now, let's talk about something a little more uplifting. I want to brag a little on my oldest son, Mason. Back in February he joined the Army with the idea of becoming a door gunner on a black hawk helicopter. he's spent most of this year in basic training and advanced individual training, and then in September he headed off to his first duty station at Fort Bliss, Texas in a medevac unit. He was so fortunate to get that assignment, because my wife's cousin, Spencer, happens to be a sergeant first class in that same unit. So cousin Spencer has worked super hard to help stack the deck in Mason's favor.
Mason got lucky again when on Spencer's recommendation, he was selected to attend Air Assault school. for those of you who don't know, Air assault is a coveted school that qualifies soldiers to do sling load and other helicopter operations like rappelling and fast roping, and it's affectionately known as the ten toughest days in the US Army. It has a dropout rate of over 50 percent. So Mason had a lot to prove as a young private given a chance to earn his Air Assault wings.
Well, Monday morning was the final test - a twelve mile road march in full kit, and it had to be completed in under three hours. Sergeant Spencer got up early to join mason for the second half of the ruck run, and to cheer him on at the end.
Needless to say I'm super proud of my boy, and very grateful for Cousin Spencer being there to motivate Mason on to victory.
They are slated to deploy to Afghanistan early next year, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep them and their unit in your prayers.
And Mason, "Air Assault!" Hooah.
That's all for today folks. Please give us a like and a share wherever you are watching or listening. I'm really grateful for the positive response we've received after our first week of the podcast. And I'm going to keep doing my best to bring you great content. So stick around!
I'm Chuck Holton, thanks for listening.
End Notes:
Monday Dec 17, 2018
Monday Dec 17, 2018
Transcript for Episode 7 - 17 December 2018
Iraq...Fifteen years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a concerning development in Brazil and our first ever interview with expert commentary on the riots in Paris.
I'm Chuck Holton, and this is the hot zone.
[intro]
Hi folks. Hope you had a great weekend. Today let's start by talking about Iraq. Fifteen years ago last week Operators from the US Army Delta Force pulled Saddam Hussein out of a hole in the ground at a remote farm near his hometown of Tikrit. His disheveled mug shot went viral within hours. It was a major victory in the US-led campaign to put an end to the terror-supporting regime.
The United States has expended a whole lot of blood and treasure in Iraq since that historic day, and we've still got about six thousand US servicemen on the ground there to this day. No one could have imagined the profound impact the war would have on America and the rest of the world.
It's become part of America's longest war. Many people don't realize that American soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardsmen and Marines who served in the last fifteen years have often spent more time at war than any US troops in US History. I know guys who have ten and twelve deployments under their belts. I myself have made more than twenty trips to Iraq and Afghanistan covering the war. Now, many who served at the beginning of this conflict are watching their sons and daughters get deployed to the same places they themselves once served.
Iraq is slowly pulling itself out of the morass of sectarian division, but this will be a generations long process, one that cannot be completed by the US military. If there's anything we've learned in the last fifteen years, it's that the American war machine is the most efficient, lethal and devastating force ever seen on this planet at taking out a well-defined enemy. But whenever we attempt to turn those warriors into policemen or diplomats, we fail pretty miserably. That's why I've come to the opinion that our foreign policy should be this: If you present a threat to the United States of America, we will quickly and efficiently reboot your country by taking out your leaders and giving you a clean slate. Then as quickly as we came, we will leave, and let you rebuild your country any way you want. And the moment we decide you have once again become a threat, we'll rain fire on you again and let you keep trying until you get it right.
The marines have a motto. No better friend, no worse enemy. That's about the most perfect foreign policy statement I've ever heard. Rather than spending trillions of the people's treasure to try and create a jeffersonian democracy in a place that hasn't figured out how to use modern toilets yet, opening ourselves up to incredible attrition and feeding the corruption that is endemic to places like Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be smarter to take out people who threaten us with extreme speed, surprise and violence of action and then leave them to put the pieces back together however they like. Thats' just my opinion.
Iraq today is still gripped by sectarian strife and the lingering evil of ISIS, but according to my sources on the ground there, things are improving little by little. The biggest threat today is the power struggle taking place in the North between Turkey, the Kurds, the Iranian-controlled Provisional Military Units, Russia and the United States. Everyone wants to control what happens now with Mosul and up into Syria. So the violence will likely continue for some time.
Now to Brazil. There are a LOT of things to talk about there, but we don't have time today to go into it all. Right now I just want to point out something you might have missed in the news. There was a church shooting in Brazil this week in which a gunman walked into a cathedral in the central city of Campinas and opened fire during a mass. Five were killed and several others wounded before the gunman turned the gun on himself.
This concerning because its the first time we've seen a random mass shooting in Brazil, and it appears to me that the wall-to-wall media coverage of mass homicides like this is causing events like this to spread.
It also shows that this phenomenon is not unique to the United States, although we regularly hear politicians say things like this:
Obama saying "These kinds of events do not take place in other advanced countries" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg0gXeWeywA
The reality, however, says different. In a recent report from the Crime Prevention Research Center, America ranks twelfth among western countries for mass shootings per capita, and eleventh for death rate per capita by mass public shootings.
Important to understand about the shooting in Brazil is that country currently has in place all of the so-called "common sense gun regulations" that are being called for by many politicians in the US.
There's a whole lot more to Brazil that we'll have to get to another time. Right now I want to go back to the ongoing unrest in France, as violent "yellow vest" protests continue to rock Paris and other cities across that country. I recently spoke with an expert on this subject, Chuck Devore, from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and he had so much great stuff to share that I'm going to play the entire interview for you.
[Chuck Devore Interview]
I have conducted hundreds of interviews over the past fifteen years, and I have to say, Chuck is one of the most well-spoken, competent people I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with. I highly recommend you go read any of his books, and his really insightful articles published in Forbes Magazine.
Well that's all we have time for today. Thanks for your support, and please let us hear from you! You can find me at the hot zone podcast on Facebook, and please give us a like and a follow there, or on Itunes, Youtube or Podbean. Also, if you'd like to support the podcast, go to Patreon.com/hotzone and become a subscriber.
Have a great day, and we'll see you back here tomorrow on the Hot Zone.
[Outro]
Friday Dec 14, 2018
Friday Dec 14, 2018
Christians being persecuted around the world, The US military is busier than you think in Africa, and we take an in-depth look at why many migrants from Central America might be worse off if they come to the United States. It's Friday, December 14, and this is the Hot Zone.
[Intro]
Happy Friday Folks! For all you who have been kind enough to try out this brand new endeavor of mine, I just want to say thank you. Please give me your feedback - if you'd like the podcast to be longer or shorter, cover different topics or whatever, I want to hear from you. You can get in touch with me through the Hot Zone Podcast facebook page, my personal page, or send me an email at HotZoneHolton at gmail
Also, if you are enjoying this podcast and would like to get involved - consider becoming a subscriber at patreon.com slash hotzone. I will enable us to tell better stories and help more people. Also, there's an option there to become a virtual foster parent. We're going to talk later today about how it's so much better and so much cheaper to help someone where they are, rather than bring them to the United States. And with our virtual Foster Parent program you can change the life of a young person and little by little help pull their whole country out of poverty.
Now, let's talk about religious persecution. Unfortunately, we are seeing it spread around the world, and in the last week I've come up with a top ten list of places you don't want to live if you are a Christian.
Number five - Burma. The Burmese military junta has been killing up to ten thousand Christians per year for decades. The hill tribes people who live in Burma - also called Myanmar - were converted to Christianity over a hundred years ago by Adoniram Judson, the first white missionary to preach in Burma back in the mid 19th century. But the government of Burma is Buddhist, and they make no bones about the fact that they plan to drive every Christian out of their country.
Number four - Iran. Last week the Iranians began a crackdown on Iranian Christians, and rounded up more than a hundred of them. Converting to Christianity is a crime and proselytizing can get you ten years in prison. This is common in many countries across the middle east. Surprisingly, there is a growing trend of people converting anyway.
Number three - China. About a hundred worshippers were snatched from their homes in coordinated raids last week. They were members of an unauthorized home church. While the christian church is not officially banned in China, freedom of worship is non-existent, and with the Chinese government's new push to use technology to monitor every detail of their citizen's lives, and assign them a social score based on their behavior, even those Christians who are not arrested could find themselves unable to travel, get loans, or jobs or perhaps even go shopping. Extrapolate this out a bit and you can definitely see how Christian end times prophesy could come true.
Number two - Nigeria. Human rights groups are reporting that upwards of 60,000 Christians have been killed in that country since 2001. Near daily violent attacks by the ISIS-affiliated Boko Haram organization, as well as hostile Fulani tribesmen have killed thousands and have driven up to 2 and a half million Nigerians from their homes. Boko haram burns churches, closes schools and kidnaps women and children, forcing many of them into "forced marriages." That country is a serious mess, and about as close to a failed state as a country can get.
Number one worst place to be a Christian this week: Afghanistan. There is only one actual Christian building in the entire country, which is a Christian chapel at the Italian Embassy. No Afghans are allowed inside. Afghan citizens are not legally permitted to convert to Christianity. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan does not recognize any Afghan citizen as being Christian, though I happen to be friends with a Christian missionary there who believes there may be perhaps a thousand Afghans who follow Christ who live secretly around the country. Being exposed as a believer in Afghanistan is a quicker way to die than walking through Erp, Texas carrying a sign that says, "I'm here to take your guns."
Now when I say these are places a Christian wouldn't want to live, I'm being a little bit facetious. Because Christians aren't called to be safe and comfortable. And in many ways, living in a place where you are free to practice your faith means you are also free to do anything but practice it. If you are a Christian in Burma or Nigeria or Iran, you have to COMMIT. And I could tell you some amazing stories of believers I've met in some of those countries whose faith is so strong I actually envy them for it.
Now, let's move on to what the US military is up to in Africa. That's a question many US politicians were asking a year ago in October when three American Green Berets were killed and two more wounded in an ambush in Niger. The men were part of a small team of operators who were there training that countrie's forces, and had been out on a routine patrol. Their deaths shocked America, and led to lots of questions about what exactly we are doing there.
Well, the war on terror hasn't ended, folks. I know you don't hear a lot about it on the news, and that's partly because the American people are tired of war, and partly because the US military became a lot less transparent under the Obama Administration. For example, were you aware that in addition to the tragedy that happened in Niger last year, the US military has suffered casualties in Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon? And that there are as many US troops stationed in Africa today as there are on the ground in Iraq? More than 6,000 US troops are spread across that continent, and almost all of them are actively engaged in the Global War on Terror. Many are with the US Special forces, but there are also lots of intelligence gathering units, medical units and more.
The US military has troops stationed in more than 170 countries around the globe and many of those men and women will be away from their loved ones this holiday season. The same goes for thousands of our troops here at home. My own beloved son Mason won't be able to join us this year for Christmas, and it'll be the first time we've ever been apart from any of our kids for that holiday. It's part of the price of freedom, though. One way the troops connect with those back home is to post shout outs to their families, and here's one from a young marine who hails from our neck of the woods - Cross lanes, West Virginia.
[cross lanes wv marine]
Now, let's move on to immigration. On Wednesday a group of over 100 migrants from the caravan went to the US embassy in Tijuana demanding $50,000 each from the US government to get them back home. Sure guys. Line up and get your money. Right. Sign me up for that one. I daresay most Americans would gladly head to Tijuana to get in that line. So would about a billion people from other countries.
I want to address this sentiment that we hear so much of today regarding the migrants in the caravan at our southern border. It's the idea that they are fleeing poverty. And the implicit message being given, both to the American people and to the migrants themselves, is that if they could just get some more stuff...more money, better food, free education for their kids...that the benefits of MORE justify leaving everything and everyone you've ever known, trekking thousands of miles across dangerous countries, and breaking into a place where you have no right to be. Well I want to address this idea by showing you a guy who could be the poster boy for what Americans consider the poor central american.
[ sebastian piece]
I've spent a good portion of the last fifteen years outside of the United States. And I've learned something by looking at US culture from the outside in. America is a fantastic country. But what makes America great isn't it's outlet malls, it's walmarts, targets and Amazon.com. Those things make America convenient, perhaps, but they don't make America great. What makes America truly great is the goodness of her people. Americans are the most generous nation of people on the entire planet. And sometimes in that generosity, if we aren't careful, we can do more harm than good.
That's one reason I started this podcast. I want to help you get a better handle on the issues surrounding charity and help you have a more direct impact on people in need. I want to take you to them and let you see what your charity is doing in their lives. People like Sebastian don't necessarily need more money, but there are many I meet every year who are having their worst day ever, because of some tragedy. And those are the people we can help. As for Sebastian, I'm going to go give Sebastian some special treats to make his family's Christmas dinner special just because I love the guy. If you'd like to join me, send whatever you want to give through paypal at hotzoneholton at gmail.com or visit my patreon page at patreon.com/hotzone. And don't just watch the news, change it.
That's all for today. Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday. On the Hot Zone.
[outro]
Show Notes:
Christian Persecution:
US Troops in Africa:
Migrants want Money:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/12/migrant-caravan-members-demand-50000-apiece-go-bac/
Wednesday Dec 12, 2018
Wednesday Dec 12, 2018
Pandemonium in the streets of Strausbourg, is it part of a bigger threat? You be it is!
and Oops! Technology reveals secret russian bases!
And scammers get so darn creative in finding ways to commit crimes online.
I'm Chuck Holton, and You're watching the Hot Zone.
[Intro]
Hi folks, Welcome to the Hot Zone. Christmas markets are a centuries-old tradition that take place this time of year across the continent of Europe. But there's a new tradition forming there, apparently. Attacking those christmas markets. We don't have all the details about tuesday's bloody shooting in Strausbourg, France as I record this, but a look at the other attacks on other markets in the region and even in Australia show a pattern developing that is really a symptom of the changing demographics of Europe brought on by massive waves of third-world migration.
Earlier this year I was in Berlin, and while we were there we visited the Kaiser Wilhelm church, the site of another bloody terror attack in 2016.
[Berlin christmas market stand up] (:45 seconds)
A new issue of a magazine published online by ISIS called Dabiq which called for just the kind of attacks we saw tuesday when a gunman opened fire on the peaceful shoppers in Strausbourg. It turns out the perpetrator the suspect had 27 criminal convictions in France, Germany and Switzerland. He was a known bad actor, who was apparently "radicalized" in prison. As usual, the local news outlets are bending over backwards to keep from saying anything at all about radical islam, but the likelihood of a mass casualty event being linked to Islam anywhere in the world is somewhere north of ninety percent.
In any case, ISIS supporters are rejoicing at this latest attack on Christmas. The same magazine has been calling for attacks on Christian sites for some time, and it's pretty clear there are people reading this publication and taking it to heart. I talked about this in February when we were in Dresden.
[Frauenkirche package] https://vimeo.com/305634479/945e906f89 (1:05)
So this is definitely a part of a larger trend - and it's not just an attack on tradition. It's an attack on Christianity that is as old as Islam. It bears noting that this most recent issue of Dabiq also called for sniper attacks in New York City on New Year's Eve.
This is the reality of the world we live in. If you want to be safe, you first have to accept the reality of the situation you live in. These days bollards, barriers and heightened security are becoming a fact of life for people across the globe. But it's a mistake to think that you can leave your own safety in the hands of someone else. We all need to learn to be more aware and to take common sense measures to reduce our personal risk wherever we go.
Politicians in France are attempting to soothe the fears of the French people by spouting all the usual bromides. The president of the European Parlaiment, which is based in Strausbourg, tweeted out that they would not be intimidated by this attack, even as the Parlaiment was placed on lockdown. For all the assertions that europeans will not change their culture or way of life because of the constant threat of more attacks, in reality they are changing their behavior. Europeans are getting fed up with the platitudes and are starting to vote for commonsense immigration reform.
You probably didn't hear there were two other Christmas market attacks planned by migrants linked to ISIS that were thwarted last week in Germany. Strange how much the media overlooks when it cuts against the liberal narrative.
I should also point out that France has every "commonsense gun law" already in place that the left would like to see in the US. And yet these attacks keep happening. The gunman in the strasbourg attack had a grenade. Which are pretty much against the law for civilians to possess everywhere on earth.
Ideology is stronger than law. Don't get me wrong, we need laws, but we also need to be careful to avoid the mindset that the best way to make people safer is to make them more vulnerable. That's my opinion.
Now, let's move on. You might have missed this report yesterday out of Russia. The russian version of google maps made a blunder that exposed sensitive and even secret russian military sites around the world. Ironically, it happened because they were trying to hide those very sites by blurring them out. But by blurring them they showed where they are, what size they are, etcetera. Don't you hate it when that happens? Kind of reminds me of the unofficial motto we had in the Rangers. If it ain't broke, fix it till it is!
This isn't the first time technology like this has given away much more than it was intended to. The Pentagon got in hot water earlier this year when it came out that American were compromising US national security by wearing fitbits. Check this out.
[strava labs piece] https://vimeo.com/253278550/43429751cb (3:28)
I think this is a great example of how technology is progressing faster than our ability to manage it. We often have no idea how the next exciting advance will affect our lives and our security. So many of us live in a kind of bubble - I mean you probably don't know many terrorists or scammers personally, so your normalcy bias sort of convinces you they don't really exist. But they are out there. And today's technology is giving them access to you in ways we are only beginning to understand.
I've seen this personally as criminals in Africa have made a habit of stealing my photos off the internet and using them to scam women. Watch.
[Romance Scams Package] https://vimeo.com/298754229
It's always been so hard for me to grasp that there are people who think nothing of stealing from or victimizing others. I just didn't grow up that way. Neither did most of you. But if there's anything I've learned in my travels it's that in the US our culture is based on the foundational principle of the Golden Rule you probably learned in Sunday school. Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. America is based on that judeo-Christian principle. But it's a mistake to think the rest of the world works this way. Even here in central America, where most people are christian, this idea of treating others the way you would like to be treated isn't as much a part of their culture. Instead, many cultures are just the opposite - do unto others before they do unto you. Take from him before he takes from you. Don't put others first - look out for number one.
When it comes to our personal security both here at home and when we travel abroad, we need to keep a clear understanding that there are bad people out there who would love nothing more than to do bad things to you and yours. That doesn't mean we live in fear. It means we live prepared and aware to safeguard those we love. And it also gives us a responsibility to change the world one little interaction at a time as we love the people we meet and show them the great value of living a life based on love.
That's all for today's podcast. There was so much more I wanted to get to, but we'll save that for another day. In the meantime, I hope you are taking some time to cherish the important things in life this Christmas season. Thanks for being with us.
Would you consider buying me a cup of coffee once a month to support this podcast. Check out our patreon site to subscribe so we can bring you more great content. also, it helps us a lot if you could take a second and like our facebook page, review us on itunes or podbean or wherever. We appreciate it.
I'm Chuck Holton, and you're in the Hot Zone.
Wednesday Dec 12, 2018
Wednesday Dec 12, 2018
Today on the Hot Zone - Russian nuclear bombers land in Venezuela - that can't be good.
CIA mind control - for dogs?
And more Germans looking for guns...but not the kind of guns you think.
It's Wednesday, December 12th. I'm Chuck Holton, and this is the Hot Zone Podcast.
Thanks for being with us. So let's start with the weirdest news I've seen lately. Documents obtained by a freedom of information act request show that the CIA experimented on mind control for dogs as a part of it's controversial MK Ultra program which ran for 20 years starting in 1953. According to the report, six dogs were implanted with electrodes directly to their brains which allowed researchers to control their movements. This was part of a larger program of mind control experiments, some of which were conducted illegally on unsuspecting American citizens. The covert human testing was done using drugs like LSD and other experiments were conducted to try to find ways to mass-hypnotize large audiences. Of course, now we have facebook, so there you go.
This wasn't the only time the US government conducted tests using unwitting US citizens as subjects. Right here in Panama there was a program which began in 1943 to test mustard gas and nerve agent on US troops in a tropical environment, and many of them were not told what they were getting into. The military initially looked at the Panamanian Island of Coiba, but the presence of a penal colony there complicated matters so they eventually decided on one of the pearl islands, San Jose. Today it's a beach resort and I daresay most of the people enjoying the resort there have no idea the island was once home to US troops who were being sprayed with nerve agent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtlGGkuO68k (background footage "b-roll" for above story)
As some of you may know I've done lots of research on the island of Coiba here in Panama, and one day I'm going to write the history of that island...one of my novels is set there, but the more research I've done, the more I realize the true history of that island is crazier than anything I could make up. Here's a trailer I made for an expedition we have planned once we can put all the pieces in place to do it right.
Coiba was a penal colony for almost 100 years, but today it's a marine biological preserve and a world heritage site. I first found out about the island during the invasion of panama, when we were sent to the island to recover some political prisoners who had been imprisoned there by Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. The prison was closed in 2004, and today It looks like paradise, but let me tell you, it seems like everything on that island wants to kill you. Suffice it to say it's one of the most adventurous places I've ever been.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rangerholton/albums/72157594182552078 photos for background use.
Now on to Germany. German press is reporting that citizens requesting weapons permits have more than doubled in the last year, and more than 600,000 have been issued. News reports cite "perceptions of insecurity" and in that phrase you can read some of the inherent bias in the reporting against people being able to protect themselves. The truth is that crime has increased in Germany and across europe as millions of migrants have flooded in from war-torn countries. There has been an especially big increase in sexual assaults, which I talked about on the show yesterday. So it isn't the "perception" of insecurity. It's the reality.
Unfortunately, Germans are not allowed to defend themselves with lethal force or even by injuring an assailant. When I was in Germany earlier this year I visited one german gun store and found out the truth...german's aren't getting permits to carry guns. they are getting permits to carry toys.
https://vimeo.com/305638501/8302c6d947 (2 minutes)
So even if someone breaks into your house, you are legally prohibited from protecting yourself. How's that make you feel? I think it's important to think critically about the words news outlets choose in their reporting, because they will always reveal the bias behind the report.
Okay, Monday six Guatemalan men were apprehended at the border near Yuma, Arizona after jumping an 18-foot fence to get into the US. Two of the men were severely injured after they fell off the fence.
Now I've been in Guatemala several times this year, and let me explain something to you - there are bad neighborhoods in Guatemala, there are bad places in every country. But much of Guatemala is pretty peaceful and actually very nice. If These men who jumped our border illegally were really fleeing violence, they could have saved themselves a lot of traveling by just going to a different place in their own country. Like esquipulas, which is absolutely beautiful and a place I wouldn't hesitate to take my kids on vacation.
Unlike Guatemala, Venezuela is falling apart and has been for a really long time. It's estimated that three million Venezuelans have already fled their country, with more leaving every day. And these are people who have legitimate asylum claims, as the government in Socialist Venezuela actively persecutes it's citizens even while many of them are starving.
Many Venezuelan dissidents who I speak with here in Panama would love nothing more than for the United States to oust their president and dictator, Nicolas Maduro. And while that idea might also have appealed to the Trump administration, it isn't practical nor strategic. Better to let the corrupt government of one of the world's biggest producers of oil collapse under the weight of their own evil.
And if the Trump administration had any secret plans to invade Venezuela, (which they didn't) that idea just got a lot more challenging. On Monday a flotilla of Russian military planes, including two TU-160 nuclear-capable bombers, just landed in Venezuela. Nobody at the Kremlin is saying why, but it's a very concerning development for the United States, for sure.
Anyone who is old enough to remember the 1962 Cuban missile crisis can probably see some chilling comparisons with today's situation with Russia beefing up it's presence in Venezuela. Now we have nuclear capable strategic bombers potentially being based within easy striking distance of our homeland, while Russia engages in some pretty aggressive brinksmanship in the baltic sea and crimea. It's going to take more than a few angry tweets to diffuse this situation, and it's becoming clearer every day that Vladimir Putin is looking to extend his influence and become a global superpower once again.
Meanwhile in the US, Socialism is sort of all the rage with the left. The cute little bartender turned congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has put a fresh face on Socialism, and seems to think it'd be a great fit for America.
I went to the border of Venezuela last year to find out what that country's people think of Socialism.
https://vimeo.com/202073559 (2 minutes)
Since I made that piece Venezuela's inflation rate has now topped 1 million percent per year. And record numbers of Venezuelans are looking to the United States for Asylum - they are now in the top two of nationalities claiming asylum in America. How ironic it must seem for them to get here and see Americans touting the glories of the very system they are fleeing.
Well, That's all for today. If you are liking this podcast, please do me a favor and subscribe and follow our facebook page. If you'd like to join us in our mission to not just make the news, but make the news good, consider buying me a cup of coffee - just three dollars a month on Patreon and we'll be able to really do a lot of good for people.
We've got lots more content in store and some extras you aren't going to get anywhere else coming soon. Thanks for your support. And We'll look for you again tomorrow, on the Hot Zone.
Tuesday Dec 11, 2018
Tuesday Dec 11, 2018
It's December 11, 2018, Denmark gives immigrants the cold shoulder, US forces stage a massive exercise in the Nevada desert, and migrants keep piling up on the US southern border. I'm Chuck Holton, and this is the Hot Zone.
Good morning everyone. We're going to spend a lot of time on immigration today, but before we get to that, I want to point out a huge exercise that is happening this week in the Nevada desert north of Las Vegas. It's called a JFEX, which stands for Joint Forced Entry Exercise. And it's the largest gathering of awesome air power in the world. Hundreds of planes from jet fighters to the behemoth C-17 starlifters and C5 Super Galaxies, all doing an incredible choreographed aerial ballet that is something to behold. The ground pounders will be there too, with several mass-tac air drops scheduled to take place. This footage is from last year. I tell you what, watching these guys stand up, hook up and shuffle out the door brings back so many great memories. I was fortunate to participate in about a hundred jumps like that. and my knees are not happy, but the rest of me loved it.
So Denmark is the latest country in Europe that is deciding maybe massive waves of third-world migrants isn't such a great thing for their collective pocketbook, or their culture. On Facebook last week the country's immigration minister, Inger Stojberg, made clear that migrants who cause trouble will be made to feel as unwelcome as possible. She announced plans to house the least welcome migrants - those with criminal backgrounds who can't be returned to their home countries for whatever reason - will be housed on a tiny, 17-acre island with very limited services. The island sits two miles from shore, and boasts such great tourist attractions as a crematorium and a lab for testing animal diseases. The minister says it isn't exactly a prison, but it'll be a really brisk in the baltic sea for anyone who wants to leave.
This move is just the latest in a series of measures aimed at making Denmark a less-exciting place to be an asylum seeker. earlier this year the Danish parliament passed a law that allows the country to confiscate any cash or valuables the migrants bring with them above about 2 thousand dollars to help pay for their care.
Ever since the migrant wave into Europe started in 2015, with over a million refugees that year alone flooding into the continent from places like Syria and Afghanistan and North Africa, I've been predicting that the sheer numbers of refugees would fundamentally change europe. That was abundantly clear. But what surprised the majority of pundits, including me, was just how much backlash we are seeing from voters across the continent. The largest mass-migration since World War II is causing a big political shift to the right in many countries, from Hungary, where they built a huge fence along their southern frontier and have refused to take the quota of migrants assigned to them by the EU, to new right-leaning governments in Austria and Italy, Brexit in the UK, and Angela Merkel watching her grip on power slip away in Germany.
Even Norway and Sweden, home to some of the most polite people on earth, are starting to vote more conservative.
This summer I spent a couple of weeks traveling across Europe - visiting an average of one country per day. I talked to people everywhere I went about this issue, and was amazed at how unhappy most people are with the unfettered immigration being encouraged and in some cases paid for by left-wing groups like the UN and George Soros' Open Society Foundation.
Unfortunately, what Europe is finding is that if you bring in millions of people from countries that are essentially lawless, then you shouldn't be surprised if those people have a tough time with the concept of following the law. That means crime rates are skyrocketing in many parts of europe, especially when it comes to robberies and sexual assaults. I tried to explain how this could happen on a trip last spring to Berlin:
[berlin stand up at bus stop] https://vimeo.com/305632159/eb47938a53
This kind of culture clash is causing lots of consternation across the continent, and even more surprising is the number of people who are looking to get a gun for self defense. So many people in Italy want better ways to protect themselves that one town near Milan began pushing a program to help subsidize the purchase of a firearm for it's citizens. Listen to part of my interview with the daughter of the mayor of the beautiful town of Borgosesia.
[Borgosesia interview 2:20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnVLAMjhVc8
We found this kind of sentiment all across europe, which I have to say is a big change from even five years ago. And even more prevalent is the feeling that so many migrants are overwhelming Europe's generous welfare systems...I mean think about it, people coming from Syria or yemen who are accustomed to living on a dollar a day find out that all they have to do is head north and if they make it, they can get free housing, free medical care, free education and up to a couple thousand euros a month...and they don't even have to work for it. What's to stop EVERYONE from third world countries from trying to get in on that deal. And can you blame them?
Now, let's look at what's happening with immigration here on our side of the pond. The so-called migrant caravan is still held up at the border in Tijuana, Mexico. Roughly ten thousand are living in squalid camps there, and when a thousand or so tried unsuccessfully to charge the port of entry a couple weeks ago, their American dream has started to turn into a nightmare. So many of these humble people from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador were encouraged, even celebrated for deciding to simply walk to the promised land. They were helped along their way by sympathetic locals, churches and left-wing groups. But now that help is drying up and the migrants are kind of stuck. Nobody is going to be helping them go back home now that it's proving a lot harder than they were told it would be to get across the US border.
When I was traveling with the caravan as they crossed from Guatemala into mexico, there were already some people who were having second thoughts. As I drove north documenting their progress, hundreds of people begged for a ride in my car. Although I could have easily carried four or five people the twenty miles or so to their next stopping place, I refused to give any rides. It felt kind of mean, I have to admit, watching those hot and weary travelers, some with tiny babies, walk along in the tropical heat while I rode in comfort in my air-conditioned rental car. But I wanted to do the most loving thing possible. And I could foresee what is now happening on the US southern border. I could tell many of these people would never qualify for asylum, and were being driven on by a false hope. And it isn’t loving to engender false hope. Neither is it loving to encourage someone to steal from others - which is essentially what a person is doing when they illegally cross our borders. They are immediately stealing taxpayer dollars, as we are forced to house them and care for them while they make their way through the asylum process. And they are stealing from other migrants who are attempting to enter our country the right way.
So I didn’t give any rides north. But when I got to their next stopping point, a little town called Huixtla, I found thousands of people sleeping on cardboard on the sidewalk, or inside the main catholic church in town. The heat was oppressive. Groups were handing out food, clothes and medicine - but nothing fancy. While there I found a woman who told me she had had enough. Her name was Yuri, (sounds like Judy) and she had a little 18-month-old named Noely Montserrat.
I was planning to drive back to the Guatemalan border that evening and stay in Tapachula that night. So I offered to give Yuri a ride.
[ video of me giving Yuri a ride] https://vimeo.com/298746299
Shortly after leaving town we picked up another straggler, a seventeen year-old kid who had had enough of walking. I drove them back to the border where we shared a nice supper before I put them on the raft to cross back into Guatemala. Word had it the Honduran government was offering free bus transport back to their hometown of San Pedro Sula.
I have to say, watching little Noely float away into the darkness on that raft just about tore my heart out. I gave them some money, but it was pretty clear they would sleep on the ground that night. But that was their choice.
I've kept in touch with Yuri via whatsapp since that day. They did in fact make the last bus back to Honduras, and are back at home with Yuri's grandmother in San Pedro Sula. Work is very hard to come by for a young single mother, though, and so I imagine it won't be much of a Christmas.
Well let's change that, shall we? I'm going to send Yuri and little Noely a gift for Christmas. Want to pitch in? This is the kind of thing we're going to do on this podcast. Not just make the news...but make the news good. We're going to reach into the lives of the people affected by world events and show them what love looks like. I'm super excited that so many of you want to join me.
So that's all for the podcast today. If you want to get involved, visit our patreon page at patreon.com/hotzone, or send a one-time donation through paypal via hotzoneholton(at)gmail.com.
We'll be back again tomorrow, I hope you have a great one until then. I'm Chuck Holton, and thanks for joining us on the Hot Zone.
End Notes:
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Thanks for listening! On this, our second episode (the first didn't really count, though) of the Hot Zone podcast, we talk Iraq, Israel and France. I'm going to try and pick three current events or hot zones each day to discuss, with some flashbacks on relevant topics (you'll see what I mean today) and my take on stuff at the end. I may not be able to make a video version of the podcast every day, but I'll try. When I'm on the road I'll just record something wherever I am and talk about what I'm doing there.
Thanks
Chuck
Below you will find:
- A transcript of the show (roughly followed)
- Show notes with links to relevant articles and videos.
Hot Zone Transcript for Monday, 10 December 2018
Today on the Hot Zone:
- New York protests over Marc Lamont Hill
(sound from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn0CnmCmkKE)
Meanwhile, rockets from Palestinian Territory rain down on Israel on an almost daily basis.
Sound from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpsVSXjeIcU
And tax hikes in France continue to be popular with the working man…NOT
Sound bites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfoObECZiSw
I’m Chuck Holton, and this is the Hot Zone.
Thanks for being with us.
The government of Iraq has announced Monday the 10th of December to be a public holiday commemorating the first anniversary of its declared victory over the terror group ISIS. A military parade planned for this morning could not be confirmed beforehand because of fears that remnants of ISIS would attack the parade. So…the Iraqis might have declared victory, but ISIS is still a threat and the violence in Iraq is still a daily occurrence. But there are places that are getting better.
The United States still has about six thousand troops in Iraq, but you don’t hear much about them anymore, partially because the media has decided not to tell you about them, but also because they aren’t really doing the frontline fighting they were doing up until 2009.
I was in Baghdad last in November 2014 - and at that time ISIS had just taken over Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city months before and was pushing south toward Baghdad. Check out this package I shot while I was there.
[5 min package from Baghdad] https://vimeo.com/305240679/34e6bfb1ba
So unlike Afghanistan, Iraqi forces have finally gotten to the point where they can stand on their own and defend their own country, and the US is just there to facilitate that. In that role, we’ll probably have boots on the ground for the foreseeable future, but we should hope to see incremental gains there until we can finally bring everyone home.
In other news, CNN contributor Marc Lamont Hill made some incendiary remarks regarding Israel last month, calling for a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea.” It caused an uproar here in the US because that phrase has been used for decades by Palestinians to call for the destruction of Israel as a state. CNN received enough pushback on Hill’s remarks that it cut ties with the ultra-liberal Princeton college professor, and now it’s getting pushback from the left for doing so. Over the weekend there was a rally in New York City to protest CNN. Which I find really amusing.
(sound from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn0CnmCmkKE)
What’s with the repeat after me thing you always see at leftist protests? If you ask me, that’s just weird. Meanwhile in Gaza Palestinians have been busy lobbing rockets at civilians inside Israel, this was last month near the border….
Sound from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpsVSXjeIcU
And Israeli forces found several terror tunnels being constructed across their border with Lebanon and destroyed them. In one press release, the Israeli military claims that one out of every three homes on the Lebanese side of their northern border is related to terrorism in some way…either as a cache for weapons, a gun emplacement, or a tunnel entrance, or something like that. I don’t know if that’s actually true, but it’s safe to say Israel remains surrounded by enemies who continually plan and pray for the day when they can wipe out Israel and extend the Palestinian homeland from the river to the sea.
Now, to France. There were lots more violent protests and riots across that country over the weekend, and the news is sort of giving an overly simplistic view of the reasons for them. The protests are primarily the work of what they call the yellow vests - folks who are fed up with the ridiculously high tax rates in the country and the poor employment of those taxes in benefitting the society.
Here’s a good couple of interviews from Al Jazeera of people involved in the protests:
Sound bites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfoObECZiSw
It’s easy for the media to stop there - blame the riots on Joe Sixpack who’s just mad he has to pay seven bucks a gallon for gas. But that’s only part of the story. First of all, these people aren’t just protesting the high cost of fuel. And they aren’t exactly conservatives calling for smaller government. Part of their platform is calling for much higher wealth taxes on the rich - that is, not just taking a percentage of what the wealthy earn every year, but taxing their net worth as well. Which would play better with fans of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez or Bernie sanders than Ron Paul. Not only that, the protests started out peacefully, but bad actors took advantage of the large numbers to start bashing store windows, looting and burning cars, etc. Not exactly like the tea party movement, if you know what I mean.
Also, the tax increases proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron were just the beginning of a plan of increased carbon taxes put forth by a recent UN climate study which called for ….get this…taxes of up to $240 dollars per gallon by the end of this century. Macron’s tax was about fifty cents…but the Paris accords say in order to save the planet (by which they mean keep the global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees by the end of the century) the government is going to have to tax the snot out of fossil fuels.
As you can imagine, that’s not going to happen without a whole lot more of what we saw in France over the weekend. In fact, these tax protests are spreading across Europe, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the US if things keep up.
Now, here’s my opinion:
Emmanuel Macron became president of France partly because of the overt efforts of the Obama administration to get him elected. I was in France when Obama sent a personal message to Macron of his support which was broadcast throughout the country. The same Obama administration which agreed to the Paris accords. And the next leftist president of the United States will undoubtedly pick up where he left off.
Never mind that if the US stopped the use of all fossil fuel today - just parked all our cars and went back to the horse and buggy, China and India’s carbon emissions will increase over the next thirty years more than all the US emissions are today. So whatever your take on climate change is, ask yourself if you’re cool with a ten-dollar-per-gallon tax on gasoline. Yeah, me neither.
That’s all for now, You can watch my work today on NRA.tv and you can also look for me on CBN’s 700 club and some of their other shows. If you’d like to be a part of what we’re doing here at the hot zone, you can look me up on Patreon, or send a donation via PayPal - We’re going to save up the donations until I come across someone in desperate need and then we’re going to let you turn someone’s worst day into their best day.
Please do us a favor and like this podcast and subscribe wherever you watch or listen. Search for Chuck Holton Hot Zone on youtube, and we’ll have our website up and running shortly as soon as we can get the DNS servers to resolve correctly.
Thanks for being with us. I’m Chuck Holton, in the Hot Zone.
Show Notes:
$240 dollar per gallon tax on gas?
The UN committee with the worst name ever
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Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
This is the inaugural episode of the podcast, where Chuck explains a little about himself and what's in store for our listeners.
Transcript:
I’m Chuck Holton. And welcome to the Hot Zone Podcast - a daily threat briefing like no other, that takes you inside areas of crisis around the world.
For those who don’t know me, I’ve been a war correspondent since right around the start of the Global War on Terror. In addition to reporting the news, I’m also a serial entrepreneur, a writer and an adventurer, not necessarily in that order. Above all I’m a Husband and Father of five grown or almost grown kids. we own a gym and an adventure tour company in Panama, where I spend much of each year with my wife and two monkeys, and we own a farm and a lodge in West Virginia, which gets rented out for most of the year as a vacation rental.
With all that going on, you might wonder how in the world I’ll be able to find the time to publish this podcast. Well let me explain.
First, my specialty is crisis reporting. I have attended nearly every major war and disaster around the world in the past fifteen years. And let me tell you…there is so much more to the news than what you are getting. What I mean is this: When I make a report for one of the news outlets where I work, typically I’m limited time-wise as to what I can share. So I have to take a very complex, interesting issue and compress it into from one to four minutes. I might spend a week reporting on an issue like, say the migrant caravan at our southern border, and conduct a dozen interviews and shoot miles of footage of what’s happening. But I’m only allowed to share with our viewers a little taste of what’s really happening. And it frustrates me how much great stuff typically ends up on the cutting room floor, as it were.
Second, the media does a terrible job of informing you about many interesting things happening today because they just don’t fit in the news cycle. For example, some political scandal or death of a celebrity might completely dominate the news today, and there’s just no time to tell you about a major crisis in Africa or US troops engaged in a firefight in Kosovo. I spend a couple hours a day reading up on all these issues, and I’d like to offer an alternative to the news-as-entertainment model you see on television.
Lastly, as I travel the world reporting on wars and disasters, I meet so many people in need, and it’s frustrating sometimes that I can’t do more to help them. You all have been amazing a few times in the past when I’ve published one of these stories on Social media, sending money to help meet that specific need on somebody’s worst day. I’d like to do that more, and give you a chance to actually get involved in the news by sending help directly to those affected, and give you a chance to literally watch your generosity change people’s lives in a personal way.
Studies show that watching the news can be stressful. Watching a show that tells you about everything that is wrong in the world while being powerless to do anything about it just isn’t healthy. I want to change that by giving you the power to go with me and reach into people’s lives and love them in the midst of their suffering.
So see, I’m doing the work anyway, and I have the equipment already, so why not record a ten-to-twenty minute conversation about the issues facing our world in a way that lets you participate?
Traditional news media is kind of fading into obsolescence, anyway. For one thing, it’s tremendously expensive to produce. A major network typically spends thousands of dollars for every minute of television they broadcast. When they send a team to cover a disaster, for example, they typically send at least four people - a producer, a sound technician, a cameraman and the guy who stands in front of the camera. That’s four plane tickets, four hotel rooms, four everything. The news they produce gets sent back to headquarters where there are editors, writers, more producers and a host or two.
Then there’s me. I travel alone, mostly, and do everything from writing, filming, editing and hosting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve recruited someone I just met to hold my camera for me while I set up a shot. But after fifteen years I’ve realized I can turn out a pretty good product for much, much less than the big guys. And in that time I’ve developed a worldwide network of sources who I can call to find out what is really happening on the ground - just about anywhere. And because I’m so low profile, I can often get into places and talk to people the bigger networks don’t have access to.
One of the reasons people are losing faith in the traditional media establishment is they are realizing how news organizations shape public opinion by what they choose to report and what they choose to ignore. For example, take some things that are happening as I film this video: what have you heard more about recently: the mueller investigation or the fact that the US just broke up a major drug cartel with ties to family of the president of Honduras? Or the American tourists who were killed in Costa Rica and Roatan Honduras last week? See what I mean?
I’m going to make it my goal to give you In addition, I’ll be sharing a bunch of bonus content apart from the podcast like long-form interviews cool photos and videos of my travels, and behind the scenes stories of what it’s like to be an international war correspondent,
All this for free, but if you’d like to support what we are doing, either with a one-time gift we can use to help people I meet in conflict zones around the globe, or if you just want to buy me a coffee - check out our subscription service that comes with some additional benefits like a patron’s only facebook page, input into where I go next, and even free copies of my books and other media! At the very least, please like and subscribe to this podcast - the more people listening, the better the content will be. Who knows? Maybe we’ll bring you with us sometime! The bottom line is I want to improve your understanding of what’s happening in today’s world and let you be more involved in the news.
Thanks for listening.