Das Criminal

In this week's episode, we discuss the internet conspiracy theory known as QAnon — its origins, beliefs, and validity. We cover everything from satanic child sacrifice to whether JFK Jr. is still alive. Plus, we review political philosophies on state power, the elements of a good literary allusion, and how to outfox the most hardened conspiracy theorists. Remember: when you gaze long into Q, Q also gazes into you.

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Aamer and Erin discuss the criminalization of HIV transmission and its implications for public health. What is HIV? How does it spread? And what policies are most effective at minimizing the transmission of infections and their possible negative consequences on a community? In this episode, we try to unpack the stigma around HIV to have a clearer conversation about public health. Alongside our review of a few specific cases (including those of Daryll Rowe and Clato Mabior), we examine the failures of abstinence-only education, the philosophies of Michel Foucault, and the gap between legal policy and implementation.

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In 1953, the CIA engineered the overthrow of Iran’s popular Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, and propped up instead the country’s detested monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — the Shah of Iran. Exploiting Iran’s oil fields, the Shah enriched himself while the country’s workers struggled, and his security forces ruthlessly persecuted dissidents who protested the regime.

By the late 1970s, the Shah’s cruelty toward the Iranian people would finally blow up in his face, as the country revolted in a series of strikes and protests. One of the Shah’s harshest critics — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — would emerge as a leading figure in Iran’s revolution and the Islamic Republic that would follow.

As for the Shah, he looked for sanctuary in his old ally — the United States. But President Jimmy Carter’s reception of the tyrant inflamed tensions in Tehran, and a group of students responded by seizing the U.S. embassy and holding 52 of its diplomats hostage. In this episode, we bring you the story of Iran’s 1979 Revolution and the events now known as the hostage crisis.

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During Easter Week of 1916, Irish Republicans launched a rebellion against the British colonial forces now known as the Easter Rising. Alongside socialist leaders like James Connolly, women were also instrumental in the struggle for Irish independence. In this episode, Aamer and Erin profile three women of the Irish revolution - Eileen Bell, Molly O'Reilly, and Margaret Skinnider - and discuss their roles in pivotal events like the Dublin lock-out, the Howth gun-running, the Rising itself, the Irish War of Independence, and the following civil war. They also chat about grassroots organizing, Irish mythology, and what they would do if they were ghosts. Support us on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/dascriminal Sources and further reading: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On January 20th, 1981, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States. At the same time, halfway across the world, the 52 American hostages that have been held by the Islamic Republic of Iran were released to US personnel after 444 days in captivity since 1979.

Although those events appear unrelated at first glance, the links between them run deep like roots underneath a forest floor; in particular, it has been alleged that during the 1980 presidential elections, the Reagan campaign reached out to Iran and intentionally sabotaged their negotiations with the sitting President, Jimmy Carter. Reagan offered Iran much better terms to keep the hostages and so deliberately decimated the popularity of the incumbent Carter. In return, Reagan promised that should he win, Iran would receive weapons and funds from the US government.

Fast forward to 1981, and as Ronald Reagan places his hands on a bible to swear the oath of the Presidency, 52 Americans were shuttled from Tehran via Algeria, Germany, Ireland, and finally to the United States. Little did people know at the time that this was the tip of an iceberg that spans three continents, paramilitary death squads, metric tonnes of cocaine, and various American political figures committing high treason — and getting away with it.

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