Adventurer, author, and filmmaker Robert Young Pelton is an iconoclast known for his entry into most of the world's conflicts over the last 25 years. In the first half, he discussed the dramatic changes in US foreign policy, the disastrous situation in Afghanistan, and how the coronavirus response is shifting the major players. One of the hard lessons the US has learned from their 20-year involvement in Afghanistan is that it can't be turned into another America-- it is an impoverished country with intractable problems, he remarked. It was an "ugly paradigm," he continued, in which American contractors pocketed most of the trillions spent on rebuilding the country. As far as America's withdrawal from that country, Pelton said the US got almost everyone out that needed to leave, and it's more of a political slant to view the situation as many being left behind. Further, he suggested that America did not leave a lot of expensive weapons there with the Afghan army-- it was mostly what he called "junk."

The Taliban are largely comprised of people who went to religious schools in Pakistan (madrasas) and were initially encouraged by groups like the CIA to recruit soldiers to fight against the Russians in the 1980s, he revealed. The US created an artificial environment in Afghanistan, so upon withdrawal, it just reverted to the way it was before, he added. Pelton talked about the 9-11 anniversary and how Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was the real mastermind behind the attacks, and that bin Laden just provided the funding. He also warned of a "global shape-shifting" taking place, a worrisome trend in which a number of democratic countries have moved to autocratic rule like in Myanmar and Somalia. Pelton is featured in the new Showtime documentary, Detainee 001, about John Walker Lindh, the mujahideen fighter who became known as "the American Taliban."

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In the latter half, hypnotherapist Dr. Bruce Goldberg spoke about how to use our dreams for such things as spiritual growth, creativity, problem-solving, healing, and mastering psychic abilities. In the dream state, you're traveling into the "fifth dimension" and could be considered an "ultraterrestrial," he said. As to the source of dreams, he listed our subconscious as well as those of others, our higher self, and what he calls the "God energy complex." There are components of dreams that come from the astral plane, he continued, and "all of our negative thoughts and emotions create evil and bizarre creatures," which are rooted in the lower astral plane. Goldberg said his techniques are designed to transport people to the upper astral planes and other dimensions where these dark entities don't tread.

Rather than getting caught up in dream interpretation, he advocates concentrating just before going to sleep on what you would like to happen in the dream state in order to make it a therapeutic experience. For this exercise, it's helpful to establish a peaceful reference point or environment, a kind of "sanctuary" in the fifth dimension-- a place where you can meet with the higher self, spirit guides, or higher entities. A pool of blue water can be envisioned to dive into and cleanse away all negativity, he added. Goldberg explained that by mentally focusing on your issue or problem while in this environment, different guides or your higher self may be encouraged to assist. He also touched on lucid dreaming and precognitive dreams.

News segment guests: Howard Bloom, Mish Shedlock