Caller 21

I mean, who better to talk about it than two pasty fellows like us?

I mean, who better to talk about it than two pasty fellows like us?

Sure. I mean, the short answer to that question is it is not happening. It is not real. It is not a thing that is happening or, in my opinion, really could meaningfully happen under the conditions that they're talking about. So, again, like you said, they have terminated all refugee resettlement programs.

Sure. I mean, the short answer to that question is it is not happening. It is not real. It is not a thing that is happening or, in my opinion, really could meaningfully happen under the conditions that they're talking about. So, again, like you said, they have terminated all refugee resettlement programs.

So people coming from active war zones, active ongoing genocides, people fleeing political persecution all over the world. They don't deserve our help. They don't need our help anymore. Right. But these people, these people from South Africa are uniquely experiencing the worst thing that can happen to a person, I guess, which is white genocide.

So people coming from active war zones, active ongoing genocides, people fleeing political persecution all over the world. They don't deserve our help. They don't need our help anymore. Right. But these people, these people from South Africa are uniquely experiencing the worst thing that can happen to a person, I guess, which is white genocide.

So white genocide, I think, is often sort of used interchangeably with great replacement theory. So the white genocide conspiracy theory and the great replacement theory, I think they're hand in hand. They're very similar. There's a lot of overlap and they're used interchangeably. But white genocide is much more specific and it's a more recent iteration on the theme.

So white genocide, I think, is often sort of used interchangeably with great replacement theory. So the white genocide conspiracy theory and the great replacement theory, I think they're hand in hand. They're very similar. There's a lot of overlap and they're used interchangeably. But white genocide is much more specific and it's a more recent iteration on the theme.

It comes from a mid-90s book written in prison by a neo-Nazi terrorist named David Lane. David Lane notably coined the 14 words we know. You know, you know, you know, the 14.

It comes from a mid-90s book written in prison by a neo-Nazi terrorist named David Lane. David Lane notably coined the 14 words we know. You know, you know, you know, the 14.

He had a lot of anxiety that if we don't do something, white people will become extinct, will be pushed out of existence by immigrants who are outbreeding us. You know, there's this sort of concurrent belief that pornography, which is, you know, in their minds, something that is a Jewish tool of oppression of the white race that is causing us to do things. it's diluting our bloodline.

He had a lot of anxiety that if we don't do something, white people will become extinct, will be pushed out of existence by immigrants who are outbreeding us. You know, there's this sort of concurrent belief that pornography, which is, you know, in their minds, something that is a Jewish tool of oppression of the white race that is causing us to do things. it's diluting our bloodline.

So, you know, all of these things together are going to push white people out of existence, which again, not happening, not true, not a real thing that can happen, but it's something they're very anxious about. But when you spend a lot of time talking about how white people are being pushed out of existence, you got to be able to point to something.

So, you know, all of these things together are going to push white people out of existence, which again, not happening, not true, not a real thing that can happen, but it's something they're very anxious about. But when you spend a lot of time talking about how white people are being pushed out of existence, you got to be able to point to something.

You have to point to a place where a white person has been meaningfully harmed and they can't really do that because So the talking point that they fall back on most often when you're talking about white genocide, you know, you're really wringing your hands about this and you have to be able to point to something.

You have to point to a place where a white person has been meaningfully harmed and they can't really do that because So the talking point that they fall back on most often when you're talking about white genocide, you know, you're really wringing your hands about this and you have to be able to point to something.

They point to the South African farm murders is this idea that white farmers in South Africa are being targeted for murder and mass. That is this massive ongoing campaign of violence, which, again, is not happening and is not true. There is a more violent crime in the country of South Africa than in other similarly positioned nations.

They point to the South African farm murders is this idea that white farmers in South Africa are being targeted for murder and mass. That is this massive ongoing campaign of violence, which, again, is not happening and is not true. There is a more violent crime in the country of South Africa than in other similarly positioned nations.

They do have a little bit more violent crime than we do here, for instance. But if you break down the numbers and they have, they have conducted a multi-year study of this, you know, hypothetical phenomenon. Yeah. White farmers are not being targeted for murder. They're not being murdered in larger numbers than any other demographic. It's just not a thing that's happening.

They do have a little bit more violent crime than we do here, for instance. But if you break down the numbers and they have, they have conducted a multi-year study of this, you know, hypothetical phenomenon. Yeah. White farmers are not being targeted for murder. They're not being murdered in larger numbers than any other demographic. It's just not a thing that's happening.

I mean, that idea sort of filtered into American right-wing think space over the last, I guess, 30 years since Lane wrote that manifesto from prison, slowly and through multiple origin points. But I have argued repeatedly over the last several months that we can point to exactly the moment that Donald Trump heard about this. There is a specific moment in time in August of 2018 where

I mean, that idea sort of filtered into American right-wing think space over the last, I guess, 30 years since Lane wrote that manifesto from prison, slowly and through multiple origin points. But I have argued repeatedly over the last several months that we can point to exactly the moment that Donald Trump heard about this. There is a specific moment in time in August of 2018 where

when Donald Trump first found out about the plight of the white South African, and I have the date somewhere in my notes, but it was, it was one evening in August of 2018 when he was watching Tucker Carlson. Shocking.

when Donald Trump first found out about the plight of the white South African, and I have the date somewhere in my notes, but it was, it was one evening in August of 2018 when he was watching Tucker Carlson. Shocking.

He was watching an episode of Tucker's show back when it was still on TV, and he had some policy analysts from the Heritage Foundation on to talk about this terrible thing that's happening. And about 45 minutes after that segment aired, Donald Trump tweeted the word Africa for the first time. Wow.

He was watching an episode of Tucker's show back when it was still on TV, and he had some policy analysts from the Heritage Foundation on to talk about this terrible thing that's happening. And about 45 minutes after that segment aired, Donald Trump tweeted the word Africa for the first time. Wow.

He has tweeted thousands and thousands and thousands of times about a lot about Robert Pattinson's relationship with Kristen Stewart. You know, things about Diet Coke, things about vaccines. He's tweeted a lot of things, but he tweeted about Africa for the first time 45 minutes after the segment on Tucker Carlson. And he had bought into this idea that these people are being uniquely persecuted.

He has tweeted thousands and thousands and thousands of times about a lot about Robert Pattinson's relationship with Kristen Stewart. You know, things about Diet Coke, things about vaccines. He's tweeted a lot of things, but he tweeted about Africa for the first time 45 minutes after the segment on Tucker Carlson. And he had bought into this idea that these people are being uniquely persecuted.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yes, I spent three months sort of tracing this story in painstaking detail. If you're interested in checking that out over on Weird Little Guys.com.

Yes, I spent three months sort of tracing this story in painstaking detail. If you're interested in checking that out over on Weird Little Guys.com.

Right. So when he says that it's not about race now, and he's pushed on that now, and he says, oh, it's not about race, it's not because they're white, the word Afrikaners appears in the executive order. And that doesn't just mean South Africa. That's not a demographic term for people from South Africa. It is a racial term for the descendants of Dutch settlers. Right. Those people are white.

Right. So when he says that it's not about race now, and he's pushed on that now, and he says, oh, it's not about race, it's not because they're white, the word Afrikaners appears in the executive order. And that doesn't just mean South Africa. That's not a demographic term for people from South Africa. It is a racial term for the descendants of Dutch settlers. Right. Those people are white.

That is a deep cut. The decision to use that particular color scheme when you're greeting these Boer refugees is very intentional and very odd.

That is a deep cut. The decision to use that particular color scheme when you're greeting these Boer refugees is very intentional and very odd.

And the sort of dedication to reviving that as a symbol is not without precedent, right? So Dylan Roof, the Charleston church murderer, had on patches, he had the flag of Rhodesia, obviously, they love Rhodesia, but he had the apartheid era orange, white, and blue South African flag.

And the sort of dedication to reviving that as a symbol is not without precedent, right? So Dylan Roof, the Charleston church murderer, had on patches, he had the flag of Rhodesia, obviously, they love Rhodesia, but he had the apartheid era orange, white, and blue South African flag.

And that was strange and unique enough as a symbol that an American would dig up and identify with that the South African press noted it at the time of the Charleston church shooting.

And that was strange and unique enough as a symbol that an American would dig up and identify with that the South African press noted it at the time of the Charleston church shooting.

Well, hopefully it's not the Washington State Patrol again.

Well, hopefully it's not the Washington State Patrol again.

But apparently DHS set up office space in Pretoria, and they were conducting these interviews in Pretoria.

But apparently DHS set up office space in Pretoria, and they were conducting these interviews in Pretoria.

And unlike these real estate agents from Johannesburg, they can't just go back home.

And unlike these real estate agents from Johannesburg, they can't just go back home.

Which, interestingly, HIAS was the target of ire of a great replacement theory-motivated mass shooter here in America. Yes. Robert Bowers posted a lot about HIAS in the days and weeks before he carried out that mass shooting.

Which, interestingly, HIAS was the target of ire of a great replacement theory-motivated mass shooter here in America. Yes. Robert Bowers posted a lot about HIAS in the days and weeks before he carried out that mass shooting.

Yes, that would be that time period.

Yes, that would be that time period.

They're in limbo and at great personal risk.

They're in limbo and at great personal risk.

No, children are born and raised there.

No, children are born and raised there.

And so that's just like insult to injury in this whole process, right? It's not only is he shutting off this avenue for refugee status for everyone else and giving it to these people who, you know, I think it's fair to say don't deserve it. Yeah.

And so that's just like insult to injury in this whole process, right? It's not only is he shutting off this avenue for refugee status for everyone else and giving it to these people who, you know, I think it's fair to say don't deserve it. Yeah.

But he's made this process so simple and so easy and so painless and that not only are they not fleeing persecution, but they're getting this fast track, this easy pass.

But he's made this process so simple and so easy and so painless and that not only are they not fleeing persecution, but they're getting this fast track, this easy pass.

I mean, obviously, international immigration is a difficult process. It wouldn't be easy. I mean, you've immigrated internationally, right? It's not a simple process. But looking at the people who have taken Trump up on this offer of refugee resettlement, these appear to be people who could have simply immigrated had they chosen to.

I mean, obviously, international immigration is a difficult process. It wouldn't be easy. I mean, you've immigrated internationally, right? It's not a simple process. But looking at the people who have taken Trump up on this offer of refugee resettlement, these appear to be people who could have simply immigrated had they chosen to.

Just notice as we're talking. So, you know, I'm not familiar with how the process normally works. That's your wheelhouse. That's something you're very familiar with. So maybe this is normal. It just looks strange to me. So I've been on vacation the last week, so I'm just back today.

Just notice as we're talking. So, you know, I'm not familiar with how the process normally works. That's your wheelhouse. That's something you're very familiar with. So maybe this is normal. It just looks strange to me. So I've been on vacation the last week, so I'm just back today.

So I just opened up the embassy's website because, you know, as I was writing this story and sort of tracking this as it developed, there wasn't good guidance from the consulate on what this process would look like. So I'm just looking at it again today and they have updated it as of yesterday. This is the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in South Africa. New update yesterday.

So I just opened up the embassy's website because, you know, as I was writing this story and sort of tracking this as it developed, there wasn't good guidance from the consulate on what this process would look like. So I'm just looking at it again today and they have updated it as of yesterday. This is the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in South Africa. New update yesterday.

There is a form you can fill out. James, it's a Google Doc. It is a Google form. The U.S. Embassy website has a link to a Google form that you can fill out if you want to become a refugee.

There is a form you can fill out. James, it's a Google Doc. It is a Google form. The U.S. Embassy website has a link to a Google form that you can fill out if you want to become a refugee.

I thought it wasn't about race.

I thought it wasn't about race.

I thought it wasn't about race, James.

I thought it wasn't about race, James.

Oh, very much so. Very much so. I mean, Afrikaner is a very specific sort of genealogical lineage.

Oh, very much so. Very much so. I mean, Afrikaner is a very specific sort of genealogical lineage.

Which is why I think they have been careful here to say, or a member of a racial minority, because they're saying like, look, we're not going to do the genealogy. We don't care if your great-grandfather was Dutch. We just need you to be white. We just need you to be white.

Which is why I think they have been careful here to say, or a member of a racial minority, because they're saying like, look, we're not going to do the genealogy. We don't care if your great-grandfather was Dutch. We just need you to be white. We just need you to be white.

No, they just got the Pantone color scale. They're just going to hold up the peach colored paint chip.

No, they just got the Pantone color scale. They're just going to hold up the peach colored paint chip.

Good for them, honestly. I think maybe people don't think about this or don't realize that a lot of these programs, like this is a grant-funded federal program through a partnership with the Episcopal Church. In the early days of Doge, they were saying, oh, we found all this wasteful spending, all this suspicious payments to these religious organizations. Those are social programs.

Good for them, honestly. I think maybe people don't think about this or don't realize that a lot of these programs, like this is a grant-funded federal program through a partnership with the Episcopal Church. In the early days of Doge, they were saying, oh, we found all this wasteful spending, all this suspicious payments to these religious organizations. Those are social programs.

We have outsourced all of these government functions to these church-based social programs. You know, for better or worse, say about that what you will, but that is in fact how many of these things function.

We have outsourced all of these government functions to these church-based social programs. You know, for better or worse, say about that what you will, but that is in fact how many of these things function.

But I think for the Episcopal Church as a massive organization to come out and say, yeah, we won't dirty our hands with this. That's incredible.

But I think for the Episcopal Church as a massive organization to come out and say, yeah, we won't dirty our hands with this. That's incredible.

Oh, good.

Oh, good.

So Charlottesville, where I live, is home to a large number of Afghan refugee families. It's like, I know people who work with our new Afghan neighbors and like helping them get settled in our community and helping women get driver's license and get them sewing machines so they can sew their traditional garments at home.

So Charlottesville, where I live, is home to a large number of Afghan refugee families. It's like, I know people who work with our new Afghan neighbors and like helping them get settled in our community and helping women get driver's license and get them sewing machines so they can sew their traditional garments at home.

And like, it's a beautiful community effort to welcome these people into our town. But I just can't, I just can't imagine the worst people on earth coming here.

And like, it's a beautiful community effort to welcome these people into our town. But I just can't, I just can't imagine the worst people on earth coming here.

And we don't have healthcare here, James. I'm sure that was a culture shock for you. But when I was poking around in some of these Facebook groups for these South Africans who are sort of... interested in maybe seeking this opportunity. And they were talking about sort of the pros and cons and whether they would go and how the process was going to work.

And we don't have healthcare here, James. I'm sure that was a culture shock for you. But when I was poking around in some of these Facebook groups for these South Africans who are sort of... interested in maybe seeking this opportunity. And they were talking about sort of the pros and cons and whether they would go and how the process was going to work.

And the one fear that I saw come up over and over again is like, well, I heard the health care is pretty bad there.

And the one fear that I saw come up over and over again is like, well, I heard the health care is pretty bad there.

Oh, and I'm sure I'm sure as as America's special and only refugees, they will be afforded access to all available programs.

Oh, and I'm sure I'm sure as as America's special and only refugees, they will be afforded access to all available programs.

It's just such an ugly intersection, right? This is not just like our addled-brained president falling victim to a racist conspiracy theory that he saw in Tucker Carlson, right? Like... That's how the idea got into his mind. But I think this resurgence of his alleged interest in the plight of the white South African is this terrible intersection of personal grievance and financial interest, right?

It's just such an ugly intersection, right? This is not just like our addled-brained president falling victim to a racist conspiracy theory that he saw in Tucker Carlson, right? Like... That's how the idea got into his mind. But I think this resurgence of his alleged interest in the plight of the white South African is this terrible intersection of personal grievance and financial interest, right?

That, you know, it's no coincidence that the text of the executive order, it's not just about like, you know, whites are being persecuted, but there is a pot shot on the side in the first section of the executive order that like, well, and South Africa has been very unfair to Israel.

That, you know, it's no coincidence that the text of the executive order, it's not just about like, you know, whites are being persecuted, but there is a pot shot on the side in the first section of the executive order that like, well, and South Africa has been very unfair to Israel.

that South Africa being a leading voice in the international community on the genocide in Gaza is part of this, that they need to be punished for their advocacy against the genocide.

that South Africa being a leading voice in the international community on the genocide in Gaza is part of this, that they need to be punished for their advocacy against the genocide.

When their ambassador was expelled, it was not a coincidence that he is a Muslim South African who has been very vocal about the genocide in Gaza and that he appears in public in a kufiya, that when he returned to South Africa after being expelled from the United States, he was talking about Palestine when he got home. And that's not a coincidence.

When their ambassador was expelled, it was not a coincidence that he is a Muslim South African who has been very vocal about the genocide in Gaza and that he appears in public in a kufiya, that when he returned to South Africa after being expelled from the United States, he was talking about Palestine when he got home. And that's not a coincidence.

And it's also not a coincidence that Elon Musk is currently fighting to launch Starlink in South Africa.

And it's also not a coincidence that Elon Musk is currently fighting to launch Starlink in South Africa.

And so this is sort of a longer explanation, but just sort of in brief, since apartheid ended in 1994, they have racial equality laws that if you have a national level company, something like Starlink, something you're going to provide a national telecommunications contract that serves the whole country, there has to be some black ownership of the country.

And so this is sort of a longer explanation, but just sort of in brief, since apartheid ended in 1994, they have racial equality laws that if you have a national level company, something like Starlink, something you're going to provide a national telecommunications contract that serves the whole country, there has to be some black ownership of the country.

They're not saying there can be no white executives. They're not saying white people aren't allowed to do business. But there has to be some black ownership stake in the company. And large corporations around the world manage this by establishing a local subsidiary that is owned locally by a majority of black shareholders. Microsoft does it. Every big company does it.

They're not saying there can be no white executives. They're not saying white people aren't allowed to do business. But there has to be some black ownership stake in the company. And large corporations around the world manage this by establishing a local subsidiary that is owned locally by a majority of black shareholders. Microsoft does it. Every big company does it.

Companies operate in South Africa. Yeah. International corporations operate in South Africa and they do it every day and they do it easily. But Elon Musk refuses to do that. He refuses to have any Black ownership stake in his company or a local subsidiary. So he's not allowed to have Starlink there. And so for the last couple of months, he's been, you know, walking out of meetings.

Companies operate in South Africa. Yeah. International corporations operate in South Africa and they do it every day and they do it easily. But Elon Musk refuses to do that. He refuses to have any Black ownership stake in his company or a local subsidiary. So he's not allowed to have Starlink there. And so for the last couple of months, he's been, you know, walking out of meetings.

He's been, you know, yelling at the president of South Africa about how he's racist against white people. And so like this is personal, it's financial, and it is a racist conspiracy theory. And now we're all having to live it.

He's been, you know, yelling at the president of South Africa about how he's racist against white people. And so like this is personal, it's financial, and it is a racist conspiracy theory. And now we're all having to live it.

on his racism app right like that i think that one i think it's and maybe its screen name is just boar or oh yes um a south african news site recently unmasked that particular individual oh cool yeah i haven't read the article yet like i said i've been on vacation but they're they're on the case yeah great good and i think about these you know white identity south african nationalist kinds of guys is apartheid wasn't that long ago yeah 30 years ago right so anybody god who

on his racism app right like that i think that one i think it's and maybe its screen name is just boar or oh yes um a south african news site recently unmasked that particular individual oh cool yeah i haven't read the article yet like i said i've been on vacation but they're they're on the case yeah great good and i think about these you know white identity south african nationalist kinds of guys is apartheid wasn't that long ago yeah 30 years ago right so anybody god who

50 year older who's talking a lot about white identity in South Africa. I would just like to ask you, what were you doing in 1990? Yeah. Just tell me who you were hanging out with in 1990 because I have questions.

50 year older who's talking a lot about white identity in South Africa. I would just like to ask you, what were you doing in 1990? Yeah. Just tell me who you were hanging out with in 1990 because I have questions.

It's a quick turnaround and an ugly one. But like I said, the average white South African who is very vocal about white rights may have a very close connection to a very recent act of terrorism, if you know what I'm saying.

It's a quick turnaround and an ugly one. But like I said, the average white South African who is very vocal about white rights may have a very close connection to a very recent act of terrorism, if you know what I'm saying.

They're not just talk. It was very violent in the early 90s.

They're not just talk. It was very violent in the early 90s.

Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on their treason case against Afroforum. I mean, it's just political talk, but it's fun. We'll see. Apparently the investigation is ongoing. But now if you are interested in more about how this happened, I did an eight-part series about political violence at the end of apartheid and its connections to American neo-Nazis. You can check that out on Weird Little Guys.

Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on their treason case against Afroforum. I mean, it's just political talk, but it's fun. We'll see. Apparently the investigation is ongoing. But now if you are interested in more about how this happened, I did an eight-part series about political violence at the end of apartheid and its connections to American neo-Nazis. You can check that out on Weird Little Guys.

It's a good time, I think. There's a really fun episode about a Dolph Lundgren movie from the late 80s that was secretly funded by South African military intelligence. Yeah, it's a good time. And we live in hell.

It's a good time, I think. There's a really fun episode about a Dolph Lundgren movie from the late 80s that was secretly funded by South African military intelligence. Yeah, it's a good time. And we live in hell.

I mean, who better to talk about it than two pasty fellows like us?

Sure. I mean, the short answer to that question is it is not happening. It is not real. It is not a thing that is happening or, in my opinion, really could meaningfully happen under the conditions that they're talking about. So, again, like you said, they have terminated all refugee resettlement programs.

So people coming from active war zones, active ongoing genocides, people fleeing political persecution all over the world. They don't deserve our help. They don't need our help anymore. Right. But these people, these people from South Africa are uniquely experiencing the worst thing that can happen to a person, I guess, which is white genocide.

So white genocide, I think, is often sort of used interchangeably with great replacement theory. So the white genocide conspiracy theory and the great replacement theory, I think they're hand in hand. They're very similar. There's a lot of overlap and they're used interchangeably. But white genocide is much more specific and it's a more recent iteration on the theme.

It comes from a mid-90s book written in prison by a neo-Nazi terrorist named David Lane. David Lane notably coined the 14 words we know. You know, you know, you know, the 14.

He had a lot of anxiety that if we don't do something, white people will become extinct, will be pushed out of existence by immigrants who are outbreeding us. You know, there's this sort of concurrent belief that pornography, which is, you know, in their minds, something that is a Jewish tool of oppression of the white race that is causing us to do things. it's diluting our bloodline.

So, you know, all of these things together are going to push white people out of existence, which again, not happening, not true, not a real thing that can happen, but it's something they're very anxious about. But when you spend a lot of time talking about how white people are being pushed out of existence, you got to be able to point to something.

You have to point to a place where a white person has been meaningfully harmed and they can't really do that because So the talking point that they fall back on most often when you're talking about white genocide, you know, you're really wringing your hands about this and you have to be able to point to something.

They point to the South African farm murders is this idea that white farmers in South Africa are being targeted for murder and mass. That is this massive ongoing campaign of violence, which, again, is not happening and is not true. There is a more violent crime in the country of South Africa than in other similarly positioned nations.

They do have a little bit more violent crime than we do here, for instance. But if you break down the numbers and they have, they have conducted a multi-year study of this, you know, hypothetical phenomenon. Yeah. White farmers are not being targeted for murder. They're not being murdered in larger numbers than any other demographic. It's just not a thing that's happening.

I mean, that idea sort of filtered into American right-wing think space over the last, I guess, 30 years since Lane wrote that manifesto from prison, slowly and through multiple origin points. But I have argued repeatedly over the last several months that we can point to exactly the moment that Donald Trump heard about this. There is a specific moment in time in August of 2018 where

when Donald Trump first found out about the plight of the white South African, and I have the date somewhere in my notes, but it was, it was one evening in August of 2018 when he was watching Tucker Carlson. Shocking.

He was watching an episode of Tucker's show back when it was still on TV, and he had some policy analysts from the Heritage Foundation on to talk about this terrible thing that's happening. And about 45 minutes after that segment aired, Donald Trump tweeted the word Africa for the first time. Wow.

He has tweeted thousands and thousands and thousands of times about a lot about Robert Pattinson's relationship with Kristen Stewart. You know, things about Diet Coke, things about vaccines. He's tweeted a lot of things, but he tweeted about Africa for the first time 45 minutes after the segment on Tucker Carlson. And he had bought into this idea that these people are being uniquely persecuted.

Yeah.

Yes, I spent three months sort of tracing this story in painstaking detail. If you're interested in checking that out over on Weird Little Guys.com.

Right. So when he says that it's not about race now, and he's pushed on that now, and he says, oh, it's not about race, it's not because they're white, the word Afrikaners appears in the executive order. And that doesn't just mean South Africa. That's not a demographic term for people from South Africa. It is a racial term for the descendants of Dutch settlers. Right. Those people are white.

That is a deep cut. The decision to use that particular color scheme when you're greeting these Boer refugees is very intentional and very odd.

And the sort of dedication to reviving that as a symbol is not without precedent, right? So Dylan Roof, the Charleston church murderer, had on patches, he had the flag of Rhodesia, obviously, they love Rhodesia, but he had the apartheid era orange, white, and blue South African flag.

And that was strange and unique enough as a symbol that an American would dig up and identify with that the South African press noted it at the time of the Charleston church shooting.

Well, hopefully it's not the Washington State Patrol again.

But apparently DHS set up office space in Pretoria, and they were conducting these interviews in Pretoria.

And unlike these real estate agents from Johannesburg, they can't just go back home.

Which, interestingly, HIAS was the target of ire of a great replacement theory-motivated mass shooter here in America. Yes. Robert Bowers posted a lot about HIAS in the days and weeks before he carried out that mass shooting.

Yes, that would be that time period.

They're in limbo and at great personal risk.

No, children are born and raised there.

And so that's just like insult to injury in this whole process, right? It's not only is he shutting off this avenue for refugee status for everyone else and giving it to these people who, you know, I think it's fair to say don't deserve it. Yeah.

But he's made this process so simple and so easy and so painless and that not only are they not fleeing persecution, but they're getting this fast track, this easy pass.

I mean, obviously, international immigration is a difficult process. It wouldn't be easy. I mean, you've immigrated internationally, right? It's not a simple process. But looking at the people who have taken Trump up on this offer of refugee resettlement, these appear to be people who could have simply immigrated had they chosen to.

Just notice as we're talking. So, you know, I'm not familiar with how the process normally works. That's your wheelhouse. That's something you're very familiar with. So maybe this is normal. It just looks strange to me. So I've been on vacation the last week, so I'm just back today.

So I just opened up the embassy's website because, you know, as I was writing this story and sort of tracking this as it developed, there wasn't good guidance from the consulate on what this process would look like. So I'm just looking at it again today and they have updated it as of yesterday. This is the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in South Africa. New update yesterday.

There is a form you can fill out. James, it's a Google Doc. It is a Google form. The U.S. Embassy website has a link to a Google form that you can fill out if you want to become a refugee.

I thought it wasn't about race.

I thought it wasn't about race, James.

Oh, very much so. Very much so. I mean, Afrikaner is a very specific sort of genealogical lineage.

Which is why I think they have been careful here to say, or a member of a racial minority, because they're saying like, look, we're not going to do the genealogy. We don't care if your great-grandfather was Dutch. We just need you to be white. We just need you to be white.

No, they just got the Pantone color scale. They're just going to hold up the peach colored paint chip.

Good for them, honestly. I think maybe people don't think about this or don't realize that a lot of these programs, like this is a grant-funded federal program through a partnership with the Episcopal Church. In the early days of Doge, they were saying, oh, we found all this wasteful spending, all this suspicious payments to these religious organizations. Those are social programs.

We have outsourced all of these government functions to these church-based social programs. You know, for better or worse, say about that what you will, but that is in fact how many of these things function.

But I think for the Episcopal Church as a massive organization to come out and say, yeah, we won't dirty our hands with this. That's incredible.

Oh, good.

So Charlottesville, where I live, is home to a large number of Afghan refugee families. It's like, I know people who work with our new Afghan neighbors and like helping them get settled in our community and helping women get driver's license and get them sewing machines so they can sew their traditional garments at home.

And like, it's a beautiful community effort to welcome these people into our town. But I just can't, I just can't imagine the worst people on earth coming here.

And we don't have healthcare here, James. I'm sure that was a culture shock for you. But when I was poking around in some of these Facebook groups for these South Africans who are sort of... interested in maybe seeking this opportunity. And they were talking about sort of the pros and cons and whether they would go and how the process was going to work.

And the one fear that I saw come up over and over again is like, well, I heard the health care is pretty bad there.

Oh, and I'm sure I'm sure as as America's special and only refugees, they will be afforded access to all available programs.

It's just such an ugly intersection, right? This is not just like our addled-brained president falling victim to a racist conspiracy theory that he saw in Tucker Carlson, right? Like... That's how the idea got into his mind. But I think this resurgence of his alleged interest in the plight of the white South African is this terrible intersection of personal grievance and financial interest, right?

That, you know, it's no coincidence that the text of the executive order, it's not just about like, you know, whites are being persecuted, but there is a pot shot on the side in the first section of the executive order that like, well, and South Africa has been very unfair to Israel.

that South Africa being a leading voice in the international community on the genocide in Gaza is part of this, that they need to be punished for their advocacy against the genocide.

When their ambassador was expelled, it was not a coincidence that he is a Muslim South African who has been very vocal about the genocide in Gaza and that he appears in public in a kufiya, that when he returned to South Africa after being expelled from the United States, he was talking about Palestine when he got home. And that's not a coincidence.

And it's also not a coincidence that Elon Musk is currently fighting to launch Starlink in South Africa.

And so this is sort of a longer explanation, but just sort of in brief, since apartheid ended in 1994, they have racial equality laws that if you have a national level company, something like Starlink, something you're going to provide a national telecommunications contract that serves the whole country, there has to be some black ownership of the country.

They're not saying there can be no white executives. They're not saying white people aren't allowed to do business. But there has to be some black ownership stake in the company. And large corporations around the world manage this by establishing a local subsidiary that is owned locally by a majority of black shareholders. Microsoft does it. Every big company does it.

Companies operate in South Africa. Yeah. International corporations operate in South Africa and they do it every day and they do it easily. But Elon Musk refuses to do that. He refuses to have any Black ownership stake in his company or a local subsidiary. So he's not allowed to have Starlink there. And so for the last couple of months, he's been, you know, walking out of meetings.

He's been, you know, yelling at the president of South Africa about how he's racist against white people. And so like this is personal, it's financial, and it is a racist conspiracy theory. And now we're all having to live it.

on his racism app right like that i think that one i think it's and maybe its screen name is just boar or oh yes um a south african news site recently unmasked that particular individual oh cool yeah i haven't read the article yet like i said i've been on vacation but they're they're on the case yeah great good and i think about these you know white identity south african nationalist kinds of guys is apartheid wasn't that long ago yeah 30 years ago right so anybody god who

50 year older who's talking a lot about white identity in South Africa. I would just like to ask you, what were you doing in 1990? Yeah. Just tell me who you were hanging out with in 1990 because I have questions.

It's a quick turnaround and an ugly one. But like I said, the average white South African who is very vocal about white rights may have a very close connection to a very recent act of terrorism, if you know what I'm saying.

They're not just talk. It was very violent in the early 90s.

Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on their treason case against Afroforum. I mean, it's just political talk, but it's fun. We'll see. Apparently the investigation is ongoing. But now if you are interested in more about how this happened, I did an eight-part series about political violence at the end of apartheid and its connections to American neo-Nazis. You can check that out on Weird Little Guys.

It's a good time, I think. There's a really fun episode about a Dolph Lundgren movie from the late 80s that was secretly funded by South African military intelligence. Yeah, it's a good time. And we live in hell.