An Interview With Dr. Thomas H. Ironsides, II, Ph.D.

*Author-Interviewer’s Note: For an exciting change this week, I drove up to North Carolina for a sit down with America’s foremost authority on geostrategic issues and Roman comparative analysis. In scenic Cherokee, over a late breakfast at Peter’s Pancakes and Waffles, I piqued the mind of the man who has seen and done it all.

Thomas Ironsides, “Tom” as he’s known to friends, is a classics professor at Saint Thomas of Aquino College in Blowing Rock, NC. There, he is also Head of the American Classical Education Center (aka, the “Ironsides Center”), a trivium homeschool supportive research initiative. Fluent in five languages, and moderately proficient in several others, he holds a Ph.D. in classics from Harvard and three Master’s degrees in classics, philosophy, and international affairs (the University of Virginia and Georgetown University). Over the past decade, he has held teaching or lecturing positions at Harvard, the American University of Paris, Matej Bel University in Slovakia, and one low-end, suburban US public “school” system. Before his academic career, he retired from a joint career, “sheep-dipped”, as he calls it, in the USMC, where he rose to the rank of Colonel, and the CIA, where he served as a Paramilitary Operations Officer and, ultimately, Acting Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service, Special Activities Division, primarily in charge of the Special Operations Group. He resides in Blowing Rock with his wife, semi-retired television actress Carmyn Larke. He reminds one and all he scored that game-winning touchdown for UVA, nigh on forty years ago.

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Perrin Lovett: Tom, it’s good to see you again. How have you been?

Tom Ironsides: Great. Exactly how I wanted to spend a work morning. And aren’t you forgetting to plug the book?

PL: Um— I’ll get to that at the end.

Tom Ironsides: Fair enough. What are we discussing today?

PL: In honor of your career, or careers, I thought we might begin with world affairs, and then work our way towards education. Some analysts, myself included, consider the third world war already in progress. Is that your characterization? And, if so, please give my audience your brief thoughts on the current front or fronts, along with any fronts you expect to open in the reasonably near future.

Tom Ironsides: Yes, absolutely, this is World War Three. Even the intelligent players and close observers, intelligent meaning those outside the United States, openly admit the global nature of the ongoing conflict. And it has been in progress for some time. This did not start last year in Ukraine. As for the exact nature of the overall hostility and its starting point in time, that is something for future historians to call. But, overall, it’s a fight between the ruling, foreign elites of the West, as represented by Washington, NATO, and little Zelensky, and the rest of the people of the planet, as popularly championed at this moment, by Russia and China. The preconditions for war have been in place for decades, and it’s very difficult to say, pointless almost when things started to get hot. The real war in Ukraine started no later than 2014 with a US-orchestrated coup. That was the continuation or exacerbation of conditions in effect several years earlier. 

Russian counter-preparations earnestly began in, say, 2007 or 2008, though the Kremlin understood the scope and parameters of the challenges even earlier. The Chinese adopted a strategy they call Unrestricted Warfare possibly as early as 1999. That strategy was largely a growth-allowing, defensive blueprint. Today, as exemplified by the recent Chinese peace proposal for Ukraine, and their evolving dealings with the US and Japan in the Pacific, their artifice is shifting towards, if not an offensive posture, then, at least, towards a more aggressive form of defense. And – this is very important – almost all of the Sino-Russian measures were and are in response to the deception, lies, and murder unleashed by the faux Western neo-Trotskyites in the early 1990s. To say it’s all complicated is an understatement. I caution against paying too much attention to anyone, from any side, who offers a simple or simplistic explanation of these matters. Rather, one might as well view it as a contest between the darkest evil – which, unfortunately, the people of the West are trapped under and suffering because of – and a coalition of Christians, noble pagans or good non-Christians, and others who may as well be defined as anything except evil.

The big, bright theater is, of course, in Ukraine, though it has already widened beyond those, let’s be honest, artificial borders. NATO, to the best of my knowledge, is scheming to engulf Transnistria and possibly Moldova, if they can do so with relative ease and a measure of plausible deniability. They just, a few days ago, openly attacked Belarus. NATO has even attacked its own members – and this is the height of insanity – in Germany and Turkey. The ripples are spreading and intensifying. All of the Western moves, which are as much economic as military, are backfiring in real-time. It’s like whatever forces control Biden and company are playing drunken checkers to Vladimir Putin’s stone-sober chess. Things were bad, and dysfunctional when I was in. Now they keep spiraling further and faster than anything I could have imagined.

At some point, China will formally enter the fray, with, I think, military action, and certainly, by ramping up existing policies, without it. The checker players are watching Taiwan – which will remain or rejoin as part of China, regardless of what the neocons want – though I think there’s a much greater possibility out there. Probably several greater or, at least, concurrent possibilities. North Korea, I believe, has a harder part to play. As does Iran and a few other nations. The crazy thing and the determinative thing is that the nations of the Global South are quietly already realigned with the Russians and Chinese. Sixty-seven percent of the world’s population now lives in territory opposed to the West. That territory produces the bulk of food, fuel, munitions, technology, and, critically, real economic activity. That’s the formula for winning a modern war. 

That was a ramble, off-the-cuff, but I hope it helps.

PL: It does indeed. Thank you. Germany, Turkey, and Belarus. You’re referring to the Nord Stream bombing, the CIA terror attack in Turkey and/or the earthquake, and the new drone attack on the Russian AWACs facility. Is that right? And do you know any names?

Tom Ironsides: Right, all counts, except maybe the earthquake. Yes, I still know several people who literally have fingers on triggers. And, no, the names stay with me. But, the officials, the known-to-the-world actors – they’re all but bragging about Nord Stream. That was a calculated move against Berlin and, really, against the whole Western block of the EU. They get to immediately start shipping in costly LNG while siphoning Continental industrial capacity to North America. I think and I even hope that this will fan the existing flames in Germany, France, etc., and that it hastens the end of NATO and the EU. It’s cold madness and a sign of utter desperation. The big rat caught in the trap is snapping angrily at the mice around her. 

It’s the same thing in Turkey, but quieter. They need to coerce Ankara into staying on the plantation as long as possible for a number of reasons. Trust me that all intel agencies and the goons they report to understand who was behind the terror cell. The earthquake, I’m not so sure about. You’ve probably seen Mr. Weatherman’s video, which I can say is real. It’s real but not 100% proof positive for me. The HAARPers and DARPA nuts have been working on directed radar weapons for decades. They have them. They are operational. I’m just not sure – because I just don’t know – if they’re that capable. If they are, then nothing would surprise me. Neither would weather balloons, fake aliens, weaponized railroads in Ohio, wastewater in Texas, chemtrails, artificially-induced polar fronts, and the rest of it. 

PL: All this from the people who brought us the one-two of Covid and the not-vaccine.

Tom Ironsides: Exactly. That was another example, possibly the worst in recorded history, of the wicked degenerates carefully targeting certain populations while simultaneously attacking the entire human race. Any rumor one ever hears about the depths of depravity in DC or London is probably true and probably only half the picture. I spent twenty-eight years helping them with one underhanded scheme after another. For that, I’ll be in Purgatory until the Sun burns out. Nothing is beyond these people. Nothing. Unspeakably evil. 

You mentioned the A-50 outside of Minsk. They keep stupidly throwing out the two words “game changer,” but that incident might be the real deal. They can’t keep their plots and nexus straight. I saw one blurb on a Greek military site, and then nothing substantial as of this morning. They may have some concocted nonsense cover about Belarusian dissents or some other lie. It’s like the bridge bombing, the drone strikes, blowing up that sweet girl – it’s all terrorism. That’s the fake West’s main weapon now, and they’re wildly thrashing about, slinging terror tactics without even aiming. It boils down to tactical minutiae that don’t even matter. Minsk? Aside from the angles, whatever they really are, between Kiev, Poland, and Belarus, that attack offers two new possibilities for conflict growth. One, third-party bases, say in Poland, Germany, or even in the US, are now fair targets. Two, NATO is running constant AWAC and drone flights for Zelensky. All of those planes are now possible targets. As is the entire US-NATO satellite ISR complex. Every bit of it is within the range and capability of about six different Russian platforms. In addition to being evil, these are some of the dumbest people alive. To top it off, they live and breathe in a perpetual state of arrogance. Damn them!

PL: Is this all evidence of a failure at NATO’s strategic planning level?

Tom Ironsides: No. Far from it. It’s proof of its success. We – and I hate to lump you and me into we – don’t have any national or global strategic plans. We haven’t since 1945. And, really, outside of naval operations, the US has never had the best comprehensive continental abilities or understanding. Russia and China have centuries of experience with combined arms, full Clausewitzian warfare. China, for the last seventy years, hasn’t had the operational experience in modern conflict, but Russia has. It’s their specialty, and they usually win. Both countries have been planning their moves all century. We’re just now starting to see the beginnings of implementation. Chess, as played by grandmasters.

Our side plays, again, drunken checkers. My former employers loosely devised a permanent tactical or expeditionary approach to war which was primarily designed to suppress insurgencies among essentially unarmed populations. And generate chaos among them. Kill people, stir up hatred, generate refugees, and make money for bankers. We have never, in living memory, at least, faced a peer or peer-plus adversary in a real war. That’s why NATO is getting its ass kicked over Ukraine even without officially participating. And our non-strategy didn’t even work against the poor and the helpless. Go ask the Taliban! Hide and wait and the big idiots will tire out and leave. It is my theory that winning was never the objective. I think the rulers wanted to use America and NATO as a hammer to strike as much chaos into as many places as possible, all while burning out America and Western countries. As the dumbass chimp once said, “Mission accomplished.”

PL: Well, they are interesting times. We can move along a bit. Who wins this thing before we shift gears?

Tom Ironsides: The other side. The free world. It’s a mathematical certainty. Western countries would have a world of self-inflicted problems even if Russia and China didn’t exist. As-is, in America, the new global war is coinciding with the ongoing and permanent collapse of the economy and a civil conflict that should finish off whatever’s left of the old USA.

PL: Speaking of ‘Murica! Do you have any ideas about the 2024 presidential election? And, at this point, is there anything or anyone that could save some vestige of the good, old United States?

Tom Ironsides: No, and no. I’m not even sure there’s going to be an election. And if there is, who cares? We know it will be rigged. And regardless of how it turns out, or even if it does or doesn’t, nothing will or can change. The deep state, the elites, don’t need a president anymore. They don’t need any of the politicians or any open facade of government. All we have is the deep, dark state now. It itself is crumbling. Instead of caring one wit about any D or R, Americans should just get on with their lives. And try to position themselves so they can emerge from the fires and rebuild. 

As for a savior, we simply don’t have one. If we did, then his time would have already come and gone. For whatever reason, lately, I’ve been thinking about Majorian. I’ve been trying to play-pretend him into life as a would-be final-stage US leader.

PL: Emperor Majorian? Of the Roman Empire?

Tom Ironsides: Right. Iulius Valerius Maiorianus, the last real chance the Western Empire had, around 460 AD. The last real emperor. In my estimation, the US, or even a rump state part of it, cries out for just such a leader. Like most plausibly effective reformers or rebels, he was of the aristocracy – though certainly not necessarily synchronized with their self-centered thinking. As you or your readers may know, he and his friend, Ricimer, forced Majorian’s way into power. Then, he did the almost unthinkable. Despite all odds, he started reuniting the previously lost territories. He quickly returned the competing ethnic groups, tribes, and kingdoms to their previous orders and places. At the point of spatha first, with magnanimity thereafter. He gave the people of Italy, Gaul, et cetera, pride in Rome again. Ricimer and the like aside, Majorian started to revive the ancient practice of enforcing Roman policies with actual Roman soldiers. At the same time, he started to positively stamp out corruption and rebuild the economy. He freed up literal tons of gold and silver. And – one can guess his fatal mistake – he started abolishing debt and usury. 

Those later points were a step too far, too fast for the trash inhabiting the Senate and the lending houses. In their short-sighted, self-serving idiocy, they had Ricimer murder the only man capable of extending their prosperity. Barely a generation later, the fools lost it all. Shit. We are Rome! We just didn’t get the Majorian. The best we could do was a braggadocious real estate street barker who didn’t even try to cross the Rubicon when required. I know of no man willing or able to do what would have to be done. My hope is that we have a few of them in the making and that they’ll step in after the Balkanization starts. 

We had a few candidates over the years. My former employer killed JFK for a couple of reasons, including monetary reform. History has seen more than a few good leaders whacked by bad bankers. Lord.

PL: You’re not excited about voting for Nikki Haley, some other foreign woman, or maybe just Ron DeSantis? Come on!

Tom Ironsides: Nimarata needs to be deported. Little Ronny is a war criminal. And both of them solidly if stupidly serve foreign masters. The dupes can believe whatever they want. Me? The last time I voted, I think I had to write in Pat Buchanan. Half a lifetime ago. Pointless.

PL: Any chance you’d ever step in, big guy? … Let the record reflect Dr. Ironsides is pointing at me with his middle fingers. Well. Anyway, let’s see. We’ll try to rapidly advance through a few more topics. You stepped into Parris Island a long time ago. Have you heard about the FBI down at your old stomping grounds?

Tom Ironsides: Forty years ago this summer. I wonder if the mosquitos would still remember me. Ha! But, yes, sadly I have read some reports and I’ve talked to a few people. What a disgrace!

PL: The rumors are true, then?

Tom Ironsides: True and then some. It’s all part of the insane desperation and the desire to set everything on fire. They’re at war with legitimate Catholics, and they’re looking for informants and agitators to serve, what did they call it? To serve “Team America”. Exact same thing with the Corps. Brandon’s blathering aside, they can’t find any real White terrorists, so they’re out to make a few. The hilarious thing is that once the genuine pushback starts, they’ll have no idea what to do about it. Pitiful. I am proud of that kid for telling them to shove it. He’s better out now anyway, regardless of whatever lies they typed on his 214. Part of me, formerly, would have counseled him to sue and demand they explain exactly what fraud he committed when enlisting. They can’t, of course, unless they describe all the crimes they commit, and that they won’t. It doesn’t matter. We should have stripped down all federal LEO and purged everyone above O6 back in the early 1990s. The whole bureaucracy should have been axed. But it’s too late now. Now, it will just fall apart. C’est la vie.

PL: You’ve had a few regrets about the time you spent helping the empire, no?

Tom Ironsides: More than a few. Without becoming a full-time vigilante, I have tried to make some private amends. I had a good multi-hour Confession. And I’ve rededicated my life to help young Americans and young families avoid our past mistakes and rekindle some sense of Christian civilization.

PL: That would get us to education and culture. I had wanted to conclude with education, maybe with that video from the Florida high school. But we’ve run a little long. I had the CDC report. Did you read about the Shigellosis outbreak?

Tom Ironsides: Monkeypox 2.0, yes. Never-ending degeneracy. I am impressed they operate so openly, trusting the blind, stupid people will never catch on. Queers are raping children, and the damned government is concerned about the well-being of the rapists. Let’s move along, please.

PL: Okay. Due to time and word constraints, wanna skip education for now?

Tom Ironsides: Sure. In a word, homeschool.

PL: That’s the word. Okay, how about we just wrap this up with a final question about something you mentioned today? About deception. Is there any reason for any American to trust anything the mainstream media says about the war, or about pretty much anything else?

Tom Ironsides: No. It’s as simple as that. If it’s corporate media or it’s on television, then it’s almost certainly a lie. There are far better sources out there, but most people refuse to utilize them. CNN or Fox is all they know. And I’d say Fox is the absolute worst. Right now they, and everyone else, are repeating this stupid nonsense about the so-called C-19 lab leak. The bug came from several labs – that’s true – but it did not leak. It was intentionally released by the US government. The retarded spin serves two purposes. First, it serves as a non-apology for the whole hoax, charade, and crime of aggression. Just move along, sheep. Second, the liars at Fox, and the other liars, are using it to pivot the gullible public into supporting a war with China. The people, who simply cannot think properly, and who can’t be bothered to ask real questions or do real research, would be much better off simply avoiding the news entirely. 

PL: As Jack said, “They can’t handle the truth?”

Tom Ironsides: That, and many of them hate the truth.

PL: One last semi-related thing? You mentioned rebuilding and rump states. You now live in Dixie. Do you see any signs that Southerners, specifically, are ready to embrace the future?

Tom Ironsides: Yes and no. I’ve always been impressed with the sense of tradition and history found in the OCSA. My dear father-in-law embodies it. Right now, and for an age, they’ve been under attack. They know it. But many don’t appear to understand that the greater world or the condition of the American nation has changed around them. When the O of occupation is finally removed – soon, I think – I’m not sure people are ready to move on. The younger ones, some of them, perhaps. All of them will have to find a way to fit in or separate from the herd. That’s the challenge everyone in North America will be facing in a decade or so. Maybe sooner. There will be a tremendous amount of labor involved in the re-ordering, and people should start planning, loosely, for that right now. While retaining the grand sense of honor and tradition, it’s time to get practical. When the time comes, I have high hopes that all of us will act accordingly. We will have a rare chance to build a new civilization.

PL: That’s as inspiring as it is challenging. Thanks so much for answering my questions today, Tom. As always, it’s been a pleasure.

Tom Ironsides: You’re welcome, and thank you for asking. Now, please get back to work finishing AURELIUS. Make me look good.

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Tom Ironsides is the hero of THE SUBSTITUTE, a novel soon to be re-published by Shotwell. Later this year, he’ll be back in the all-action novella, AURELIUS. 

© Shotwell / Perrin Lovett.

UPDATE: Dr. Ironsides emailed and advised there is a suggestion of fake news regarding the A-50 AWACs plane. https://ria.ru/20230301/vzryvy-1855237809.html. At this point, who knows?