The Bigfoot Manifesto

War as a Subsidy for Capitalism: Iran, Venezuela, and the Business of Empire

Is war a glitch in the American system — or is it how the system works? In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with historian, foreign policy analyst, and American Prestige co-host Daniel Bessner about U.S. empire, war, sanctions, oil, the national security state, and the political economy hiding underneath the language of "freedom," "stability," and "democracy." Using Iran and Venezuela as case studies, Dave and Daniel explore how American foreign policy often protects markets, energy flows, military contractors, and elite power — while ordinary people pay the cost. They also discuss sanctions as a form of warfare, the role of the Strait of Hormuz, the bipartisan consensus around empire, and what a serious working-class foreign policy might look like. Because sometimes the real conspiracy isn't hiding in the woods. It's hiding in the defense budget. Guest: Daniel Bessner Host of American Prestige https://americanprestigepod.com/ [https://americanprestigepod.com/] Daniel Bessner's books: Democracy in Exile: Hans Speier and the Rise of the Defense Intellectual https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501785078/democracy-in-exile/ [https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501785078/democracy-in-exile/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Imperialist-Realism/Daniel-Bessner/9781803414805 [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Imperialist-Realism/Daniel-Bessner/9781803414805?utm_source=chatgpt.com] The Bigfoot Manifesto Progressive politics. Cryptid truth. Zero billionaire BS. Subscribe, rate, and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

AI Singularity & Human Extinction: Dr. Peter Solomon on the Machine God

Is AI still just a tool — or have we started worshipping the machine? In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with Dr. Peter Solomon, author of 100 Years to Extinction and 12 Years to AI Singularity, about artificial intelligence, human extinction, Henry Adams, technology as a secular religion, and whether humanity can survive the technologies it has created. The conversation begins with Henry Adams' "The Dynamo and the Virgin" and the idea that modern society may have replaced older moral systems with a new faith in machines, speed, efficiency, and power. From there, Dave and Dr. Solomon discuss AI singularity, sentient machines, climate collapse, nuclear risk, genetic engineering, social media algorithms, corporate power, job loss, and the political failure to put guardrails around technologies that could reshape civilization. Dr. Solomon argues that AI represents a fork in the road: it could help humanity build a more harmonious future, or it could accelerate our worst instincts unless society, politics, and democratic institutions catch up. Bigfoot may be hiding in the woods. The machine is hiding in plain sight. Learn more about Dr. Peter Solomon and his work: https://100yearstoextinction.com/ Dr. Solomon's books: 100 Years to Extinction: The Tyranny of Technology https://100yearstoextinction.com/100-years-book/ 12 Years to AI Singularity: A Harmonious Future with Artificial Intelligence or War https://100yearstoextinction.com/12-years-to-ai-singularity/ Subscribe to The Bigfoot Manifesto for conversations about politics, power, propaganda, technology, capitalism, and the strange stories shaping our world.

Everything Connected: The Architecture of the American Con

In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson is joined by fellow producer Jeff Mann and director Sean Claffey to revisit Americonned and ask a hard question: what has changed since the film first came out in June 2023? The episode returns to the film's central warning that inequality, labor precarity, housing instability, political capture, and the collapse of the middle class were never separate problems, but parts of one larger con. Dave, Jeff, and Sean look back at what the film was really trying to say, why its message hits even harder now, and how billionaire power, AI job disruption, housing unaffordability, weakened labor power, and economic anxiety have only deepened since release. They also discuss why now is the right time to relaunch Americonned and what they hope new audiences will see more clearly in this moment. This is a conversation about the American Dream, the architecture of power, and why the story Americonned tells is not old news. It is still happening. For updates on the relaunch of Americonned, visit Americonned.film.

The Thin Blue Myth: Policing, Power, and Accountability in America

In Episode 20 of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson sits down with former police chief, law enforcement consultant, educator, and DOJ reform expert Dr. Edward Dwain Denmark for a deep conversation about policing in America: how its myths are built, how power is protected, and why accountability so often breaks down. This episode digs into the story Americans are told about policing — that police are the "thin blue line" between order and chaos, that more weapons mean more safety, and that abuse is the result of only a few bad actors rather than a system designed to shield itself. Drawing on decades of experience inside law enforcement, Dr. Denmark unpacks how police culture, training, militarization, and institutional loyalty shape behavior far more than most people realize. Dave and Dr. Denmark explore the origins and meaning of the thin blue line, why criticism of policing is so often treated as betrayal, how militarized training conditions officers to see threat everywhere, and why reform efforts frequently stall even when public pressure is high. They also discuss oversight, misconduct, police unions, recruitment standards, and the ways systems resist meaningful change. This isn't a conversation about demonizing individual officers. It's about examining the structure of policing itself — how it operates, who it protects, and what real public safety would require instead. Because Bigfoot myths are entertaining. Policing myths decide who gets hurt.

The Sasquatch Paradox: Why AI Replaces Workers, Not Power | Paris Marx

Episode 19: The Sasquatch Paradox 2.0 — Why AI Replaces Workers, Not CEOs If AI is supposedly smart enough to replace drivers, writers, coders, designers, warehouse workers, and maybe even teachers, then why does it never seem to come for hedge fund managers, private equity executives, or the C-suite? In Episode 19 of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with tech critic, author, and podcaster Paris Marx about the mythology surrounding artificial intelligence, the political choices embedded in automation, and why the biggest promises of AI so often line up with the interests of power instead of workers. Paris Marx is a tech critic, hosts Tech Won't Save Us, and is the author of Road to Nowhere. (Paris Marx [https://parismarx.com/]) Together, Dave and Paris dig into the "tech savior" myth, the opacity of AI systems, the corporate logic behind automation, and the deeper question at the heart of this episode: if efficiency really mattered, why aren't CEOs first on the chopping block? That framing is the core spine of the episode materials, which position AI as a system that automates labor while protecting power. o explore how AI systems inherit the values of the system that built them, why black-box decision-making is so dangerous in public life, and what a truly human-centered approach to technology might look like. In the episode transcript, Paris discusses the secrecy around training data, the limits of so-called "open" AI, and the harms that can follow when opaque systems are used to make life-changing decisions. a simple but brutal question: If AI can replace workers, why not CEOs? Learn more about Paris Marx: Paris Marx [https://parismarx.com/] Tech Won't Save Us podcast [https://techwontsave.us/] Road to Nowhere [https://roadtonowherebook.com/] Road to Nowhere paperback [https://bookshop.org/] Follow / support / subscribe: Please follow, rate, and share The Bigfoot Manifesto wherever you listen.