Ian Michael

Ian served four years in the Marine Corps as a fire support man, deploying twice to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. While pursuing higher education, Ian joined the California Army National Guard as a public affairs specialist. In late 2015, he deployed again, this time with a combat aviation regiment with an operational footprint in multiple countries across the Middle East. After returning home, Ian decided to broaden his horizons. In the world of firearms, Ian earned his certification as an NRA basic pistol instructor. He is a co-founder of Distributed Security Quad Cities, a firearms handling and safety training program. Ian’s passions include writing and photography. He is a prolific journalist with articles, photos, and documentaries that have been shared across the country and abroad. His most recent venture is into the world of speculative fiction. He’s published one volume of his work with several more on the way.

Threads and the Failure of Satire

November 13, 2021 by Ian Kummer

I just watched the 1984 BBC docudrama Threads. In many ways, it is typical of a Cold War film at the height of the Red Scare. However, Threads created a new pinnacle of propaganda. The film’s creators deliberately terrorized an entire generation of children and skillfully blurred the lines between truth and fiction. Threads mimics real news reports, presenting a chain of events that are difficult to distinguish from real-life media, especially for a child. Despite all the praise it received in the years since then, Threads is a horrible film that teaches all the wrong lessons, and didn’t even make a nuclear war less likely. If anything, this wave of propaganda has made self-inflicted armageddon more inevitable than ever before.

Conflict: a Pure and Sincere Message About War

November 12, 2021 by Ian Kummer

The 1983 Soviet stop-motion animation, Conflict ( Конфликт), presents a simple and pure message. A modern war between two world powers is insanity that would inevitably end in nuclear armageddon. No matter how restrained or polite the conflict, sooner or later one side would be defeated and use their nuclear arsenal in a last-ditch attempt at self-preservation.

Fire Memes of the Week:Afghanistan

November 10, 2021November 10, 2021 by Ian Kummer

Since I was gone for so long, here’s some memes to catch up. Both my own original content, and others I found. Afghanistan, neoliberalism, and more weirdness. Here’s some covering the fall of Afghanistan. Where will the empire bring “democracy” next? Who knows.

The Girl With All the Gifts is the Most Nihilistic Movie Ever Made

November 10, 2021 by Ian Kummer

The Girl With All the Gifts literally compares black people to flesh-eating zombies who destroy Western civilization, and praises this as a good thing. It might be the most mind-bogglingly evil and racist movie ever made. Triumph of the Will and Birth of a Nation look tame in comparison. But that’s not the most horrifying aspect of the story. Thousands, maybe even millions, of white liberal elites in Europe and the USA actually believe this and have the political power to make it happen.

The Paradox of Building a Relationship with the USA

November 9, 2021November 9, 2021 by Ian Kummer

Here’s the paradox of building a relationship with the USA. The only way to get Republicans to respect you is to be a macho tough guy – and have a strong military with nuclear weapons. Republicans are schoolyard bullies. They talk lots of trash about Russians, but have given up trying to fight them in any meaningful way. But here’s the paradox – what works on Republicans has the opposite effect on Democrats. Being a macho tough guy will actually make them hate you more. They’ll build even more drones and ships named after gay pedophiles, and want to start a war with you more than ever before.