In the first half, President of the nonprofit Center for Security Policy, Tommy Waller, discussed the critical importance of safeguarding the electric grid in the United States. He emphasized the organization's mission to provide "uncompromised analysis" on national security threats without being influenced by outside funding. Elaborating on the dire consequences of power outages, he recalled the experiences of medical professionals during Hurricane Katrina, noting, "Electricity is second only to air when it comes to human survival." He cautioned that even brief outages can lead to chaos, as seen in recent storms where communities faced blackouts.
The conversation also touched on the interconnectedness of modern infrastructure, and how the failure of electricity can trigger a cascade of breakdowns in essential services, leading to societal unrest. Waller outlined six significant threats to the grid, including supply chain issues, government policies leading to blackouts, and cyberattacks. He also discussed the dangers posed by electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) and solar flares, which could severely disrupt the grid. "It's fixable," he said, advocating for the installation of neutral ground blockers to protect against geomagnetic disturbances, which could be achieved for just $4 billion-- a fraction of the recent infrastructure bill. Waller expressed urgency in addressing these threats, warning, "If we don't do something about it quickly...we could lose our civilization." He concluded with a call to action, stressing that while solutions exist, "We've got to get started."
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In the latter half, Richard Spence, a professor emeritus of history, delved into the complex figure of Aleister Crowley, a notorious British occultist of the 20th century. Reflecting on Crowley's legacy, Spence suggested he was probably overrated as an emblem of evil, but underrated in terms of his cultural influence. He noted that Crowley was largely forgotten at the time of his death in 1947, only to experience a resurgence in interest during the 1960s counterculture, where he was seen as a symbol of defiance and nonconformity. "He was capable of doing things that the average person would find immoral," said Spence, but "in the pursuit of hidden knowledge, and of occult wisdom, you have to be willing to cross boundaries."
Spence shared intriguing details about Crowley's life, including his claims of working for British intelligence during World War I, which seems to be confirmed by the evidence. In 1904, while visiting the Great Pyramid, Crowley had an epiphany that ancient Egyptian deities had chosen him to usher in a new spiritual era through his doctrine of Thelema. "He was going to be basically the great prophet of this new age," Spence explained, though Crowley faced disappointment as his ideas did not gain the widespread influence he anticipated.
Eventually, Crowley took over the leadership of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), an occult order that still exists today, which was started in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Interestingly, Crowley was said to have a disdain for charlatans, particularly in the realm of spirit mediumship. In addressing the notion of Crowley as the Antichrist, Spence noted that he'd given himself the nickname of the Great Beast 666 and could have understood himself as an Antichrist, given his mission to replace Christianity.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Mike Bara