Eyes Left Podcast
Eyes Left is a socialist, anti-war military podcast hosted by veterans. The show offers a critical perspective on militarism and U.S. foreign policy from a leftist viewpoint. It combines firsthand military experience with political analysis to challenge mainstream narratives. The podcast aims to build solidarity among service members and veterans against imperialist wars.
Episodes
Inside the Conscientious Objector Surge
Mike introduces the Center on Conscience and War, as it helps hundreds of US service members who have reached out in opposition to killing in Iran, the Caribbean and beyond. CALL for questions or help filing as a conscientious objector at (877) NO-2-WARSVISIT their website at https://centeronconscience.orgFOLLOW them on: Instagram @CenterOnConscience https://www.instagram.com/centeronconscienceTwi
Killing the VA: Trump’s Veterans Agenda
Everything you need to know about what has happened, and what is coming, in the conservatives' plan to kneecap & fully privatize the VA health care system. Featuring veterans' reporter Jasper Craven. FOLLOW Jasper at https://x.com/jasper_cravenSUPPORT this podcast by making a tax-deductible donation the The Empire Files at www.patreon.com/empirefilesVeterans Health Care Policy Instit
Tulsi Gabbard's Memoir: A Book About Nothing
Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to be Trump’s VP is laid out in her debut book: a memoir which must hide her personal & political past. Mike made the painful journey of reading it, and took Julian Feeld & Josh Ettingermentum along for the ride.
Follow Julian Feeld on Twitter: https://x.com/julianfeeld
Listen to his QAA Podcast at: https://www.qanonanonymous.com
Follow Josh Ettingermentum on Twitter:
The Class Composition of the US Military: A Socialist View w/ Prof. Jodi Dean
A "mercenary Army of the poor"? Right-wing think tanks, as well as some on the left, have sought to disprove that framework. Professor Jodi Dean joins the show to critique the most recent study which portrays the rank-and-file military as a Warrior Aristocracy.
SUPPORT this podcast by making a tax-deductible donation the The Empire Files at https://www.patreon.com/empirefiles
A Guide to Getting Out of the US Military (Now) w/ the GI Rights Hotline
It's much easier than the Pentagon wants you to think. Whether you're in the military or know someone who is, this is the definitive guide to walking away. And as Biden's support for genocide spins out into new US wars across the Middle East, from the Red Sea to Iraq, now would be a good time to walk away.
Featuring special guest Maria Santelli, longtime counselor with the GI Rights H
Operation Profit Guardian: The War Danger Grows feat. Rania Khalek
Major developments with Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Iran increase the potential for new wars for the US as it facilitates Israel's genocide in Gaza. All the urgent updates, plus a deeper look at the forces involved, with journalist Rania Khalek.
FOLLOW Rania at https://twitter.com/raniakhalek
WATCH her show at https://www.youtube.com/breakthroughnews
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS to refuse to participa
Refuse to Fight for Israel's Genocide in Gaza
Biden plays with fire sponsoring the Gaza genocide, as US troops get hit with blowback, reinforcements rush to the Middle East, and the Pentagon escalates by bombing Iranian forces. Iran, Hezbollah, and other armed groups have a red line; how far can the US push before it's crossed? This episode includes critical information for soldiers about why and how they can resist being party to this ge
![Turncoats: The American POWs Who Joined Their Captors [Radical Military History]](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/793435/793435-1695665864089-ac32cc5323aad.jpg)
Turncoats: The American POWs Who Joined Their Captors [Radical Military History]
Dozens of American soldiers captured during intense fighting in the Korean War came to understand the true reason for the US invasion, and sympathized with their so-called enemies. 24 chose to stay with their captors rather than participate in the prisoner swap–six who are immortalized in a photograph with a banner reading "We Stay For Peace." Their story on this first full episode of Ra
The Vultures Circling Camp Lejeune Victims
After decades of fighting, victims of the Marine Corps mass poisoning at Camp Lejeune will finally get settlements–so an array of billionaires, hedge funds, and their far-right attorneys have wormed into the leadership of the case, attempting to loot the majority of the settlement funds.
Joining the show is Lejeune survivor, advocate and journalist Lori Freshwater
Follow EYES LEFT on Twitter &am
WAKE UPS #2 - Throwing Away the Green Beret w/ SSG Evan Brown
The story of how a Special Forces soldier quit his legendary unit to join the anti-racist mass movement in the streets.
EYES LEFT is a project of The Empire Files, a 501(c)(3) media non-profit—support our work with a tax-deductible donation on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empirefiles or on PayPal: www.paypal.com/paypalme/empirefilesinc
FOLLOW us on Twitter & Instagram @EyesLeftPod
All music b
EXCLUSIVE: New DeSantis Torture Victim Speaks
Six months after EYES LEFT broke the Ron DeSantis GITMO torture story (which has now become a national scandal for the presidential hopeful) we have exclusive new eyewitness corroboration of his participation in human rights abuses. Story by Mike Prysner.
TRANSCRIPT available at empirefiles.substack.com
EYES LEFT is a project of The Empire Files, a 501(c)(3) media non-profit—support our work w
Wake Ups #1 - PO3 Erica Gordon & The Hidden War
In this first installment of our “Wake Ups” series, former Navy Petty Officer Erica Gordon shares her journey from a homeless shelter, to a hidden war, to creative forms of resistance while still in uniform.
EYES LEFT is a project of The Empire Files, a 501(c)(3) media non-profit—support our work with a tax-deductible donation here: https://www.patreon.com/empirefiles or on PayPal: https://w
Good Morning, Global Empire - 12/22
In this debut episode of our new monthly segment, Mike Prysner and SFC (Ret.) Jeff Sauter cover a range of stories that deal with the economic hardships facing active-duty troops and potential recruits—contrasted with a behemoth new Pentagon budget that funnels hundreds of billions to corporations. Plus: abortion rights for troops, the potential renaming of 9 major Army bases named after Confedera
Ron DeSantis's Military Secrets: Torture & War Crimes
A journey into Ron DeSantis's shadowy military career reveals shocking new details about his complicity in illegal torture. Featuring exclusive never-before-heard testimony from former Guantanamo prisoner Mansoor Adayfi about DeSantis's actions at the prison camp.
Support this show at https://www.patreon.com/EyesLeft
Eyes Left is a project of The Empire Files: https://www.patreon.com/empiref
Eyes Left is back
After a long absence, let's talk about where the show went and where it is going.
Prisoner of Conscience: The Kevin Benderman Story
Interview with Sergeant Kevin Benderman, sentenced to 15 months in military prison for refusing to return to Iraq on moral grounds.
The VA Covid Prison + The Reign Of Terror
The harrowing story of a VA long-term care facility where veterans watched friends die of Covid, then sentenced to a solitary-confinement lockdown. Special guest Spencer Ackerman joins to discuss this story, his new book Reign Of Terror, and more.
Looking Inward, Going Forward
Spenser and Mike discuss the BLM upsurge, the role of the National Guard in suppression, and looking inward to find new paths.
PLUS: Radical Military History - The story of the 'Fort Hood 43'
How the West Point Mafia Runs Washington
Retired Major Danny Sjursen joins Eyes Left for part II of his interview, explaining his research uncovering the West Point Class of 1986 and the powerful positions it's alumni control in the Trump Administration.
Army Major to the Anti-War Movement
Spenser and Mike interview Army Major Danny Sjursen about his journey from West Point officer in Iraq and Afghanistan to an anti-war author, commentator and activist.
Sjursen is host of 'Fortress On A Hill' podcast and author of several books. Find his work at https://skepticalvet.com/
PANDEMIC VISION
Spenser & Mike get deep in pandemic brain with philosophy and updates on COVID warfare at home & abroad.
Show notes:
- Join upcoming May 30 national actions to Cancel The Rents @ www.canceltherents.org/
- Get the new album 'Rend Wake' by our audio engineer Anahedron: condinarecords.bandcamp.com/album/rend-wake
- Learn about this 72nd anniversary of the Nakba: english.alaraby.co.uk/english/
After Bernie
Spenser and Mike discuss Bernie leaving the presidential race: why & what's next for the movement
Solidarity In The Time Of COVID-19
Spenser & Mike discuss the science of COVID-19, the political implications of the pandemic, and the need to come together as a community (just, not in person please!)
Super Tuesday with Bernie Campaign Political Director
On the eve of Super Tuesday, Spenser and Mike are joined by Miguel Medrano, Iraq war veteran and Southeast Political Director for the Bernie campaign.
No Rich Man's War On Iran! Featuring Rory Fanning
As the the potential for major US war in the Middle East looms greater than the days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner are joined by former Army Ranger, Afghanistan veteran and war resister Rory Fanning to discuss the Iran crisis, options service members have to resist, and reactions to the Democratic candidates' statements in response to Trump's war crimes.
The Afghanistan Papers
Spenser and Mike discuss the bombshell Afghanistan Papers, proving the depth to which the US government has been lying to keep us in the senseless war.
A Highway of Death, From Sykes-Picot to Al-Baghdadi
Your Halloween treat, on the killing of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi, the Army's new recruitment strategy, and more video games.
PLUS Radical Military History on lost stories from the Gulf War
Catching Up on Epstein, Space and Drugs
Spenser and Mike catch up after a month-long break to talk about Gaza, what the Epstein case reveals about the ruling class, Trump’s very large purchase of Ketamine for veterans, communist sci-fi and more.
Trump's VA: Brain Zapping & Gyroscopes - Interview w/ Veterans' Affairs Investigator
Trump's appointed a "beer mogul" to revamp PTSD treatment... and he's into some really weird pseudoscience.
Eyes Left interviews investigative journalist Jasper Craven—who investigates the Dept. of Veterans' Affairs for the New York Times, The Intercept and more—about this impact of VA privatization, the hidden scandal of police brutality at Veterans' Affairs hospitals and much more.
Bernie is the only one
Spenser and Mike discuss the Democratic Party Primary candidates, Bernie Sanders, and Trump's war criminal pardons; PLUS: Afghanistan War Update & Radical Military History
War On Iran / War On Trans Troops
Trump ramps up wars on two fronts: his Christian extremist war on Trans people, and his Blood For Oil war on Iran. Spenser and Mike discuss why we must oppose both.
FOLLOW: @EyesLeftPod SUPPORT: Patreon.com/EyesLeft
War On Iraq: 16 Years & Counting
Spenser and Mike mark the 16th anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq
Demystifying Contemporary Fascism in the Wake of Christchurch
With another white nationalist terror attack taking the lives of at least 50 Muslims, Spenser and Mike explore the many expressions of neo-Naziism today: from 4chan, to Ben Shapiro, MAGA-ism and the US military itself.
Venezuela: Refuse to Fight Another Oil War
John Bolton sent 5,000 of us to die for oil in Iraq. Elliott Abrams oversaw genocide in Guatemala. Now they've teamed with Trump to launch another oil war in Venezuela. Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner tell you why it's your right, and duty, to refuse to fight.
Major Tulsi Gabbard, Reporting For Duty!
Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner discuss the Army Captain who waved a Trump flag in uniform, the sociopath Marine General Jim Mattis, and Army Major Tulsi Gabbard entering the 2020 race
Army Recruiters Infiltrate Gaming
Nowhere is safe from the US Army; not even your video games. Learn about how Twitch has joined the Military Industrial Complex—putting recruiters in your headsets—among other new tactics to recruit gamers.
ALSO: Sadistic SEALs murdering civilians, and fellow soldiers, for sport; and Radical Military History covers the only veteran to ever renounce his Congressional Medal of Honor.
"Faithful Patriot" Border Deployment: What It Means, How We Got Here
As Trump send upwards of 15,000 US troops to three states, Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner discuss what's behind the deployment, it's relation to a rising right-wing movement, your rights if you're ordered to the border, the truth about the migrant caravan and it's historical context.
FOLLOW US on Twitter & IG at @EyesLeftPod
SUPPORT US on www.patreon.com/EyesLeft
Bush's Real Legacy "Serving Veterans"
George W. Bush will soon be presented with an award for his "commitment to veterans" despite unprecedented neglect and cuts under his administration. We explore his true legacy and how he is responsible for the crises veterans face today, as well as:
- Tomas Young, US soldier paralyzed in Iraq, writes his "last letter" to Bush upon deciding to end his own life.
- The "Save The VA" campaign led b
Andy Stapp and the American Servicemen's Union
In a special full episode of Radical Military History we explore the life and legacy of Private Andy Stapp, honoring the fourth anniversary of his death. Stapp joined the Army during the Vietnam War not to fight, but to organize against it. His "American Servicemen's Union" grew tens of thousands of enlisted members in just a few years as he became known as "the thorn in the Pentagon's side."
FOL
Afghanistan War Update: Defeated Generals Boast of Success
How much are the Pentagon Generals lying about the war in Afghanistan? Much more than you thought. With new US casualties to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as well as record fatalities for Afghan Army and civilians, Eyes Left gives updates and analysis on all the important recent developments in the never-ending occupation.
FOLLOW US on Twitter & IG at @EyesLeftPod
SUPPORT US on www.pa
"You'd Better Stay At Home" - The Clifton Hicks Story
War crimes. Freakouts. Drugs. Rebellion. A narrative of the Iraq war buried by the media and politicians, told through the incredible oral history of Clifton Hicks--a tank crewman in Iraq who refused to go back, won a Conscientious Objector fight, then spent years helping other soldiers do the same.
FOLLOW US on Twitter & IG at @EyesLeftPod
SUPPORT US on www.patreon.com/EyesLeft
New ‘Defense’ Budget is a Class War Budget | The VA’s ‘Shadow Rulers’
In this episode:
In Brief: Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner analyze the curious incident of a US Marine receiving a Purple Heart for combat wounds in an “undisclosed location.” (Begins at 02:52)
The Class War Budget: A breakdown Trump’s bi-partisan “defense” budget: from “Army Futures Command,” to the Space Force scam. (Begins at 10:05)
Veterans Affairs HQ Moves to Mar-a-Lago: What it means that
GOP Hypocrites Join Taliban | Racist New Army Policy
In this episode:
Afghanistan War Update: Major announcement that the Trump Administration will enter into direct talks with the Taliban, what it exposes about the endless war, and the latest US and Afghan deaths
Army News: Racist new policy of discharging immigrant soldiers after being asked to join for citizenship, and why it gives more reason for service members to resist
Radical Military His
Debut Episode w/ Spenser Rapone & Mike Prysner
In this debut episode of Eyes Left, hosts Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner discuss the vision and goal of the podcast, how their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan led them to become socialists, and why US troops should resist U.S. foreign policy.
FOLLOW US on Twitter & IG at @EyesLeftPod
SUPPORT US on www.patreon.com/EyesLeft
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