Behind the Bastards
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Behind the Bastards

There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of th...

Episodes 2,018
Books 1,695

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The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order cover

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

Samuel P. Huntington

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 220

The discussion referenced Huntington's thesis to illustrate how postColdWar politics framed conflicts as cultural clashes.

It seemed like a sort of kernel of truth in this. It was based on Huntington's writing about the clash of civilizations.

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Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History cover

Balkan Ghosts

Robert D. Kaplan

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 220

The hosts noted that Bill Clinton had read the book, after which his administration's rhetoric shifted regarding the Balkans.

and after Bill Clinton read that horrendous book, Balkan Ghosts by Kaplan, his administration's rhetoric began to change

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Shanghai on Strike: The Politics of Chinese Labor cover

Shanghai on Strike

Elizabeth J. Perry

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 220

One of the speakers cited Ferry's book as a detailed account of the 1925 Shanghai general strike.

In a book called Shanghai on Strike by Elizabeth Ferry, she describes the massive labor actions and their aftermath.

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The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set Hardcover Illustrated edition 2020 June 25 cover

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set Hardcover Illustrated edition 2020 June 25

J.R.R. Tolkien

Mentioned 5 months ago

Part One: How Jeffrey Epstein Helped Build the Modern World

The hosts compared the children's hockey movies The Mighty Ducks to The Lord of the Rings, calling the former the hockey equivalent of the classic fantasy series.

The Mighty Ducks' premise was strong enough to sustain a trilogy, which no critics consider to be basically the children's hockey equivalent to The Lord of the Rings.

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Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency cover

Devil's Bargain

Joshua Green

Mentioned 5 months ago

Part One: How Jeffrey Epstein Helped Build the Modern World

The hosts noted that journalist Joshua Green had written Devil's Bargain, a book about Steve Bannon's rise in the Trump administration.

Bannon became fascinated with the collective power of gamers who gathered on these sites, according to journalist Joshua Green, who wrote a book, Devil's Bargain, about Bannon's rise in the Trump administration.

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Thousand Plateaus (Athlone Contemporary European Thinkers) cover

Thousand Plateaus (Athlone Contemporary European Thinkers)

Professor Gilles Deleuze

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

The analysis from these philosophers was referenced to discuss the ways in which fascism and totalitarianism differ, noting that fascism involves a war machine taking over the state. The text was also quoted to illustrate realized nihilism within fascism, characterized by an intense line of escape that transforms into pure destruction.

They discuss the ways in which fascism and totalitarianism differ. They write that totalitarianism is a state affair made up of material components that overmanage society. Quote, even in the case of a military dictator it is a state army, not a war machine, that takes power and elevates the state to the totalitarian stage. Totalitarianism is quintessentially conservative. Fascism, on the other hand, involves a war machine. When fascism builds itself a totalitarian state, it is not in the sense of a state army taking power, but of a war machine taking over the state. Unquote.

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The Suicidal State: Race Suicide, Biopower, and the Sexuality of Population cover

The Suicidal State

Madoka Kishi

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

This essay by Virilio was discussed as the framework building off of Deleuze and Guattari's work, arguing that in fascism, the state is suicidal rather than strictly totalitarian. Virilio argued that this evolution of the state is guided by non-progress and terror, founded on the repulsion and fear of all development in the civil domain.

This analysis from Deleuze and Guattari is building off of an essay by the French writer Paul Virilio called The Suicidal State, where Virilio argues that in fascism, the state is far less totalitarian than it is suicidal.

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Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It cover

Progress

Samuel Miller McDonald

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

The speaker mentioned reading this book and planning a review for the podcast, noting how its content explored the pervasive concept of progress and how it can trip people up, sometimes acting like a sedative against engaging with degrading reality.

You know, recently I read this book, Progress, by Samuel Miller MacDonald, and I would like to do a review of it at some point for the podcast, but... The short of it is that it gets into just how pervasive this concept of progress is in kind of tripping people up and keeping us serving systems that don't serve us.

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Mephisto (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) cover

Mephisto (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)

Klaus Mann

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

Deleuze and Guattari quoted from this 1936 novel, which contains fascist speeches, noting an excerpt eerily similar to the visuals of Trump as the suicidal penguin.

In A Thousand Plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari quote an excerpt from Klaus Mann's 1936 novel Mephisto, which contains fascist speeches and ordinary conversations from Nazi Germany.

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Starship Troopers cover

Starship Troopers

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Greg Bovino Episode Extravaganza!

The hosts said it was apparently his favorite novel, that he reads it once a year, and noted that it is often interpreted as a fascist work.

His favorite book was probably Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers, surprising no one. His sister told the Daily Mail that he reads Starship Troopers once a year, which completely makes sense.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (S.F. MASTERWORKS) cover

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (S.F. MASTERWORKS)

Robert A. Heinlein

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Greg Bovino Episode Extravaganza!

The book was cited as a key influence on libertarian thought, being called a foundational text for the American libertarian movement.

One of his books, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, is often seen as providing a lot of the ideological underpinning for the libertarian movement.

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Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama (American Encounters/Global Interactions), Cover may vary cover

Emperors in the Jungle

John Lindsay-Poland

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 218

This book served as the main resource for the detailed historical analysis of U.S. intervention in Panama, covering everything from the Bidlack Treaty to the 1989 invasion. The speaker found the book provided fantastic information on topics they had never heard discussed before, shaking them regarding events at the crossroads of the continents.

Panama was a long-standing laboratory of U.S. imperial power.

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Most Recommended

Visions in Blood: A Vampire Romance (Of Blood & Dreams Book 2) Cover

Kim Allred

Visions in Blood

A Vampire Romance (Of Blood & Dreams Book 2)

Reggie, a journalist, was impressed by the documentary Visions of Blood, which chronicled the Navajo Special Forces veterans' direct action campaign that contributed to the Second American Civil War.

"

Wait, THE Donald Ferris?' Reggie asked. '"The guy who made Visions of Blood?

— Episode: After the Revolution: Chapters Nine, Ten...

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Episode: After the Revolution: Chapters Nine, Ten, & Eleven

Reggie, a journalist, was impressed by the documentary Visions of Blood, which chronicled the Navajo Special Forces veterans' direct action campaign that contributed to the Second American Civil War.

"

Wait, THE Donald Ferris?' Reggie asked. '"The guy who made Visions of Blood?

'Both, actually,' Reggie replied.

The Outline of History Cover

H. G. Wells

The Outline of History

It was mentioned that Charles Dederick read this book, and it is believed to have heavily influenced his atheism and subsequent drinking problem.

"

The history of mankind is a history of more or less blind endeavors to conceive a common purpose in relation to which all men may live happily and to create and develop a common stock of knowledge whi...

— Episode: Part One: Synanon: The Drug Rehab Progra...

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Episode: Part One: Synanon: The Drug Rehab Program That Bui...

It was mentioned that Charles Dederick read this book, and it is believed to have heavily influenced his atheism and subsequent drinking problem.

"

The history of mankind is a history of more or less blind endeavors to conceive a common purpose in relation to which all men may live happily and to create and develop a common stock of knowledge which may serve and illuminate that purpose.

I believed literally that I would go to hell if I didn't go to church on Sundays.

I became a militant atheist almost overnight.

Margin of Error (Fog Lake Suspense Book 2) Cover

Christy Barritt

Margin of Error (Fog Lake Suspense Book 2)

The book was mentioned as a critique of issues within the education system, specifically detailing how charter schools may disproportionately enroll certain student demographics while expelling others, contributing to segregation and inequitable funding.

"

Many studies show that charters enroll a disproportionately small share of students who are English language learners or who have disabilities as compared with their home district. A survey of expulsi...

— Episode: Part Two: The Ballad of Bill Gates

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Episode: Part Two: The Ballad of Bill Gates

The book was mentioned as a critique of issues within the education system, specifically detailing how charter schools may disproportionately enroll certain student demographics while expelling others, contributing to segregation and inequitable funding.

"

Many studies show that charters enroll a disproportionately small share of students who are English language learners or who have disabilities as compared with their home district. A survey of expulsion rates in the District of Columbia found that the charters which enroll nearly half of the student population of the district expel large numbers of children. The charter's expulsion rate is 72 times the expulsion rate in public schools.

The Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu: The Commander of the Entebbe Rescue Force Cover

Herman Wouk

The Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu

The Commander of the Entebbe Rescue Force

After his death, Yoni's letters were published, which became a significant part of the hero cult that formed around him. It was mentioned that there were also other books and movies made about him.

"

Yoni's letters after his death are published as a book, and there are books written about his fateful last battle. There have been movies made.

— Episode: Part Two: What the Netanyahu Family Did...

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Episode: Part Two: What the Netanyahu Family Did To Palesti...

After his death, Yoni's letters were published, which became a significant part of the hero cult that formed around him. It was mentioned that there were also other books and movies made about him.

"

Yoni's letters after his death are published as a book, and there are books written about his fateful last battle. There have been movies made.

Sexual Behavior in the Human Female by Alfred C Kinsey (1998-05-01) Cover

Alfred C. Kinsey

Sexual Behavior in the Human Female by Alfred C Kinsey (1998-05-01)

It was one of the most influential pieces of literature on American sex history, detailing topics like homosexuality, premarital sex, and even bestiality, and was a controversial New York Times bestseller.

"

In 1948, soon after beginning the Institute for Sex Research, Kinsey published one of the most influential pieces of literature in American sex history, sexual behavior of the human male.

— Episode: Part One: The (Male) Doctor Who Redesign...

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Episode: Part One: The (Male) Doctor Who Redesigned Vaginas

It was one of the most influential pieces of literature on American sex history, detailing topics like homosexuality, premarital sex, and even bestiality, and was a controversial New York Times bestseller.

"

In 1948, soon after beginning the Institute for Sex Research, Kinsey published one of the most influential pieces of literature in American sex history, sexual behavior of the human male.

Five years later in 1953, he published sexual behavior of the human female.

The books contained controversial information for the time as they detailed topics such as homosexuality, premarital sex and even bestiality.

Yet this illicit information intrigued the public and the books quickly rose to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

The Dorm Room Diet: The 10-Step Program for Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Plan That Really Works Cover

Daphne Oz

The Dorm Room Diet

The 10-Step Program for Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Plan That Really Works

It was mentioned as a book written by Dr. Oz's daughter when she was in college, which was later discussed in a humorous context.

"

The Dorm Room Diet. It's just free pizza and dick.

— Episode: Part Two: Dr. Oz: Why 'America's Doctor'...

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Episode: Part Two: Dr. Oz: Why 'America's Doctor' Is A Bast...

It was mentioned as a book written by Dr. Oz's daughter when she was in college, which was later discussed in a humorous context.

"

The Dorm Room Diet. It's just free pizza and dick.

Hey, you know, if you pour coffee into instant ramen. Right, exactly. It's an efficient breakfast. Two birds, one stone.

Mein Kampf: A Translation Controversy Cover

Michael Ford

Mein Kampf

A Translation Controversy

It was mentioned that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion heavily influenced its writing, even though the author knew the Protocols were fake, and excerpts from the book were read aloud.

"

To what extent the whole existence of this people is based on... This people being Jewish people is based on a continuous lie is shown incomparably by the Protocols of the wise men of Zion, so infinit...

— Episode: Part Two: The Conspiracy to Begin All Co...

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Episode: Part Two: The Conspiracy to Begin All Conspiracies

It was mentioned that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion heavily influenced its writing, even though the author knew the Protocols were fake, and excerpts from the book were read aloud.

"

To what extent the whole existence of this people is based on... This people being Jewish people is based on a continuous lie is shown incomparably by the Protocols of the wise men of Zion, so infinitely hated by the Jews. They are based on a forgery. The Frankfurter Zeitung mourns and screams once every week. The best proof that they are authentic, what many Jews may do unconsciously is here consciously exposed, and that is what matters. It is completely indifferent from what Jewish brains these disclosures originate. The important thing is that with positively terrifying certainty, they reveal the nature and activity of the Jewish people and expose their inner context as well as their ultimate final aims.

How to Spot a Fascist Cover

Umberto Eco

How to Spot a Fascist

The essay was referenced when discussing how aspects of American consumerist culture have been co-opted by far-right groups, including RAM, in their promotion and branding of a certain 'lifestyle fascism' aesthetic.

"

It's also a real good example of one of the things Umberto Eco talked about in her fascism, his essay trying to kind of explain what fascism is, syncretism, right?

— Episode: Part One: RAM: Nazi Fight Club

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Episode: Part One: RAM: Nazi Fight Club

The essay was referenced when discussing how aspects of American consumerist culture have been co-opted by far-right groups, including RAM, in their promotion and branding of a certain 'lifestyle fascism' aesthetic.

"

It's also a real good example of one of the things Umberto Eco talked about in her fascism, his essay trying to kind of explain what fascism is, syncretism, right?

THE SIGMA MALE CODEX: RULES FOR THE SIGMA MALE Cover

DANNELL JONES

THE SIGMA MALE CODEX

RULES FOR THE SIGMA MALE

It was described as a short, poorly written book about the Sigma Male philosophy, which included numerous poorly written and grammatically incorrect sentences, and was deemed a sad and potentially harmful book.

"

I need more. Yeah, you need more. You need THE SIGMA MALE CODEX rules for the Sigma male by Daniel Jones.

— Episode: Part Two: A Live Investigation Into The...

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Episode: Part Two: A Live Investigation Into The Sigma Male...

It was described as a short, poorly written book about the Sigma Male philosophy, which included numerous poorly written and grammatically incorrect sentences, and was deemed a sad and potentially harmful book.

"

I need more. Yeah, you need more. You need THE SIGMA MALE CODEX rules for the Sigma male by Daniel Jones.

If you are reading this, then it means that you are very intelligent and in search of knowledge. And if you are reading this and you are not in search of knowledge, you will have it by the time you are done. That's one sentence. Congratulations King. You can read now get ready for your life to fucking change.

Well, the Sigma male by definition is a man who does not think or act like everyone else where the Alpha male always wants to be seen. The Sigma male keeps a low profile as not to draw attention to himself, also the Sigma male is the most valued prize amongst women because unlike the Alpha male, the Sigma male makes no effort to chase women. Rather he catches women with his intellect one sentence.

I am a Sigma male and it took me a long time to come to that realization. I knew that an Alpha male because I had no desire to chase every woman that I saw and I knew that I wasn't a Beta male because they don't believe that they can get a woman. So I had to fall somewhere in between, which brought me to the concept of the Sigma male. It made perfect sense. I am educated and quiet and I am constantly analyzing everything around me.

The Sigma male reads, which means he is obsessed with educating himself and gaining knowledge and wisdom.

Fascism in Spain, 1923–1977 Cover

Stanley G. Payne

Fascism in Spain, 1923–1977

It was described as a landmark book, and details how the military's resistance to the left had less to do with politics than might be expected.

"

Historian Stanley Paine calls 1898 the first modern post-colonial trauma in Western Europe.

— Episode: Behind the Insurrections - The Birth of...

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Episode: Behind the Insurrections - The Birth of Spanish Fa...

It was described as a landmark book, and details how the military's resistance to the left had less to do with politics than might be expected.

"

Historian Stanley Paine calls 1898 the first modern post-colonial trauma in Western Europe.

I know. Right. Interesting. Yeah. Symptomatic of the dismay of the nationalist military was an editorial in El Giraldo Militar on 23rd, November 1908 entitled Worse than Anywhere. It declared wherever we look, we find greater virility than in our own people in Turkey, Persia, China, the Balkan states, everywhere we find life and energy, even in Russia. In Spain, there is only apathy and submission.

In his landmark book, Fascism in Spain, scholar Stanley Payne notes that the military resistance to the left had less to do with politics than you might expect.

Army officers demanded suppression of the left's disorder, violence and subversion of national unity.

In some provinces, sectors of the old political elite did join and dominate. But the organization also incorporated ordinary middle class people who had not previously been politically active.

Collectible Coin 190118 Germany 1936 A 5 Mark silver Cover

Collectible Coin 190118 Germany 1936 A 5 Mark silver

It was cited as a source for Robert Evans to discuss the impact of Kurt Eisner's assassination on Bavaria's political landscape and the subsequent rise of right-wing forces.

"

The assassination of Eisner had worked as a solvent upon political consensus such as it was in Bavaria. The Hoffman government found itself caught between the advance of radicalism on both the right a...

— Episode: Behind the Insurrections - Hitler's Muni...

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Episode: Behind the Insurrections - Hitler's Munich Beer Ha...

It was cited as a source for Robert Evans to discuss the impact of Kurt Eisner's assassination on Bavaria's political landscape and the subsequent rise of right-wing forces.

"

The assassination of Eisner had worked as a solvent upon political consensus such as it was in Bavaria. The Hoffman government found itself caught between the advance of radicalism on both the right and the left.

No longer able to maintain itself in Munich. The Hoffman government decamped on April 7th, eventually coming to rest in the northern Bavarian city of Bomberg.

Authority in Munich was assumed successively by two councils, the first led by an ill assorted collection of independent socialists and anarchists, and the second by the communists.

By the end of April, the feeble Red Forces had been pressed back into the environs of Munich itself.

At this moment, with their backs to the wall, elements of the Red Army executed 10 hostages. Some of the hostages were members of the right radical Thule Society. Others appeared to have been selected almost at random. None of the 10, however, had done anything to earn so terrible a retribution.

With one gratuitous act, the leftist defenders of Munich had opened the floodgates of violence. The aroused white forces poured into the city on May 1st, bent upon the eradication of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and its supporters in the most literal sense imaginable.

The hardened Free Corps and Army troops coursed through the streets of the city, shooting anyone who appeared even remotely suspicious.

The orgy of execution did not stop until May 7th, when it was discovered that the white forces had mistakenly murdered a group of 21 Catholic schoolboys.

These schoolboys were by no means the only innocents who fell before the guns. Before this first wave of killing had come to an end, over 600 individuals had been slain, many of them individuals with no connection to the Red Army or the Soviet Republic.

The revolution which had begun so peacefully six months before had ended in a bloodbath. Order had returned to Bavaria.

The debt with which the Nazi movement owed Pohner was real. As police president, Pohner extended a sheltering hand to protect the activities of the nascent Nazi movement.

In doing so, he ensured its survival and gave it an opportunity for future growth.

This passive image, however, does little to convey the full dimensions of Pohner's commitment to both the radical right in general and Nazis in particular.

The Secret of Selling Anything: A road map to success for the salesman… who is not aggressive, who is not a “smooth talker,” and who is not an extrovert Cover

Harry Browne

The Secret of Selling Anything

A road map to success for the salesman… who is not aggressive, who is not a “smooth talker,” and who is not an extrovert

It was described as a collection of folksy anecdotes about Welch's sales experience, along with inoffensive advice on how to sell products, and was deemed not worth reading.

"

Unlike loser jobs like bricklaying and lumberjacking, being a salesman is a true profession like being a doctor.

— Episode: Part One: How The John Birch Society Inv...

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Episode: Part One: How The John Birch Society Invented The...

It was described as a collection of folksy anecdotes about Welch's sales experience, along with inoffensive advice on how to sell products, and was deemed not worth reading.

"

Unlike loser jobs like bricklaying and lumberjacking, being a salesman is a true profession like being a doctor.

He does start the - I enjoyed that he starts the book by noting that unlike loser jobs like bricklaying and lumberjacking, being a salesman is a true profession like being a doctor.

The Road to Salesmanship, brackets, pamphlet, Robert Welch, Robert not capitalized, Welch capitalized, 1941, rare and out of print collector's item, limited availability.

The Road to Salesmanship, pamphlet in brackets, by Robert Welch, this time capitalized, 1941.

I found a copy of it on Amazon today for $3.99, and the product description text is wonderful.

May God Forgive Us Cover

Jr. MacArthur, Douglas (General) Welch, Robert H. W.

May God Forgive Us

It was Robert Welch's first political book, and a full-throated condemnation of US foreign policy in Asia, where he believed the government was handing the continent over to communists.

"

The strategy of the socialists is to divide and conquer.

— Episode: Part One: How The John Birch Society Inv...

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Episode: Part One: How The John Birch Society Invented The...

It was Robert Welch's first political book, and a full-throated condemnation of US foreign policy in Asia, where he believed the government was handing the continent over to communists.

"

The strategy of the socialists is to divide and conquer.

Call all businessmen crooks so that nobody will speak up for them and strangle them with controls and taxation.

Bribe all the farmers with their own money into a selfish pressure group for more bribes.

Infiltrate the labor unions and convert them into political tools.

Discredit the medical profession until the rest of the public clamors for government medicine.

Resdink Cousin Gifts for Women Men, I Love My Favorite Cousin Birthday Keychain, Best Graduation Present for Cousin Cover

Resdink Cousin Gifts for Women Men, I Love My Favorite Cousin Birthday Keychain, Best Graduation Present for Cousin

It was mentioned as an article written by Roy Cohn's first cousin's son, which contained a quote about Roy Cohn's overbearing mother.

"

My relatives couldn't stand Roy's overbearing mother, Dora Marcus Cohn. She was the original helicopter parent long before anybody knew that term, fussing over her only son's grades, appearance and re...

— Episode: Part One: Roy Cohn: The Man Who Made Don...

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Episode: Part One: Roy Cohn: The Man Who Made Donald Trump

It was mentioned as an article written by Roy Cohn's first cousin's son, which contained a quote about Roy Cohn's overbearing mother.

"

My relatives couldn't stand Roy's overbearing mother, Dora Marcus Cohn. She was the original helicopter parent long before anybody knew that term, fussing over her only son's grades, appearance and relationships.

The Appearance of Power: How Masculinity is Expressed Through Aesthetics Cover

Tanner Guzy

The Appearance of Power

How Masculinity is Expressed Through Aesthetics

It was quoted from, explaining the shift in McCarthy's tactics to focus on homosexuals to save face after his accusations of communists in the State Department failed.

"

To save face with his colleagues in the American public he changed his tactics calling out those he was unable to trace back to communism as being homosexual This began what is now called the lavender...

— Episode: Part One: Roy Cohn: The Man Who Made Don...

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Episode: Part One: Roy Cohn: The Man Who Made Donald Trump

It was quoted from, explaining the shift in McCarthy's tactics to focus on homosexuals to save face after his accusations of communists in the State Department failed.

"

To save face with his colleagues in the American public he changed his tactics calling out those he was unable to trace back to communism as being homosexual This began what is now called the lavender scare

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.