LATEST PODCAST: THE PSYCHODRAMA THAT IMPLODED THE TITAN

Was Stockton Rush on a Suicide Mission?

This week’s guest, Karl Stanley on a Titan test dive in 2019 — on the left.

Sometimes critically thinking is an exhausting endeavor. Ever since the Titan submersible went down, taking five souls forever into the ocean’s abyss, I’ve been obsessing about Stockton Rush, the man responsible for the tragedy — one that included himself. Even if the original story story didn’t capture your imagination, this week’s interview might. Given all the people who have spoken out about the known weaknesses of Titan’s carbon fibre hull, one might posit it was a murder/suicide mission. This is not an extreme theory. You’ll hear a friend of Stockton Rush who did some test dives on the vessel - suggesting exactly that. Karl Stanley runs a submersible operation out of Honduras and was involved in some early testing of Titan in the Bahamas. While on a dive, Stanley heard cracking noises suggesting the pressure hull was dangerously weak. Here’s how the New York Times reported it:

During a trip on board the Titan off the coast of the Bahamas in April 2019, Karl Stanley, an expert in submersibles, knew immediately that something was off: He heard a cracking noise that got only louder over the two hours it took for the submersible to plunge more than 12,000 feet.

The next day, Mr. Stanley wrote an email in which he detailed his concerns to Stockton Rush, the chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, who was also on board the Titan for the dive, urging Mr. Rush to cancel the expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic that were planned for that summer.

“A useful thought exercise here would be to imagine the removal of the variables of the investors, the eager mission scientists, your team hungry for success, the press releases already announcing this summer’s dive schedule,” wrote Mr. Stanley, according to a copy of the email seen by The New York Times. “Imagine this project was self funded and on your own schedule. Would you consider taking dozens of other people to the Titanic before you truly knew the source of those sounds??”

So if the danger of continuing on with the Titan design was well-known to Stanley and the many others who warned Rush — why did he persist in selling passage on what was the first dive of the season? What was driving him? And what might have compelled some of the passengers to take the risk? None of them likely knew just how dangerous was their mission — would a small amount of research uncovered the trouble lurking? Others, who bailed, had a bad feeling about Rush.

For those of you still obsessing — below is a terrific animation that has racked up millions of views.

In our interview you’ll hear Karl Stanley mention Bohemian Grove. It’s not a conspiracy theory but a legitimate, albeit secretive gathering of uber-billionaires on private property. One can only shudder at what goes on - the mutual ego stroking and posing. Stanley suggests that being part of this group and trying to keep up must of been a trial for Rush, desperate, as his submersible design and business were failing badly.

This is a tale for the ages. Like Moby Dick and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, a favourite book of mine - hubris, ego and greed imperil psychically-driven men. Here is a rare presentation by Krakauer. Worth a watch.

Karl Stanley also suggests that perhaps some of the rich people aboard Titan may have had their own questionable reasons for boarding. Bragging rights are now a big part of the elite persona. These trips are expensive and exclusive — just like Everest used to be. The death zone near the summit is littered with human remains. We would love to hear your comments on Stanley’s theory — below.

Also on the show, we pay tribute to a Toronto educator who committed suicide following struggles with the Toronto and District School Board and others over their so-called anti-racist training. The sessions were deemed as bullying by friends and family of Richard Bilkszto, who was involved in litigation over the events. I’ve spoken to his lawyer, Lisa Bildy and will be following up when we know more. These “programs” including trans-extremism are often lead by outside “consultants” who are actually activists — and they have consequences - some tragic. Our schools and other institutions need to take advice from real experts and stop virtue signaling to ideology that hurts us all. Facts do not back up critical race theory or gender extremism - both products of postmodernism, which itself denies a factual reality.

Stay critical — it might save your life.