2025-07-18 Gary Sheng & Isaiah McCall: Geopolitics, Spiritual Warfare, and Truth-telling Journalism

Date: July 18, 2025 Participants: Gary Sheng, Isaiah McCall Duration: Extended conversation Location: Remote (Isaiah in Japan, planning travel to Vietnam)

Executive Summary

A wide-ranging conversation covering military veteran disillusionment, geopolitical analysis through a spiritual warfare lens, corruption in Western leadership, the Epstein network's influence, and the role of authentic journalism in truth-telling. Isaiah demonstrated sophisticated understanding of global power dynamics while reaffirming his commitment to uncompromising journalism despite personal risks.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

Military Veteran Disillusionment

Isaiah discussed his contact with military veterans experiencing profound disillusionment after realizing they "fought wars for Israel":

"Don't wanna join the army then find out that you fought a war for Israel. And that your buddy died for Israel. It's probably not the best thing."

He described veterans having mental health crises and calling friends drunk, threatening suicide after connecting the dots about who truly benefited from recent conflicts:

"I was like, dude, I'm gonna kill myself. Was like, man, these army guys, man. They get put through the fucking ringer."

Key Insight: Isaiah sees this as a potential major story, noting veterans who were once "gun ho" and traditional are now "completely shot" after realizing the true nature of recent conflicts.

Putin's Theocratic Vision & Spiritual Warfare

Both Gary and Isaiah analyzed Putin's approach as fundamentally religious/spiritual in nature:

Gary: "Russia is interested in fulfilling what they believe is a biblical like a divine problem. Prophecy. To to reestablish essentially Eastern Rome."

Isaiah: "Yeah. I mean, that's why they had the name czar earlier, obviously, but it's, like, it's the new Caesar."

They discussed how Putin has united the Orthodox Church under his authority and positioned himself as defending "real Christianity" against the corrupt West:

Gary: "Putin has united the Orthodox Church under him."

Isaiah: "When you read Russian books, that's why they're so great. It's like, oh, wow. They have a very powerful dream and very powerful spirit. Just like us."

Western Corruption & Compromised Leadership

The conversation touched on the spiritual corruption of Western leadership:

Gary: "Our leaders in the West are just are just trainees. Or, like, breaks... literally, Macron's wife is a man."

Isaiah: "Yeah. Yeah. So that one is all that teams confirmed."

Gary: "So the West is controlled by do you understand that this is a religious war that Putin is able to justify?"

Narrative Warfare & The American Dream

Gary: "Everything is narrative driven, man. Everything is narrative driven."

Isaiah: "My American dream is is dying, and that's why America's dying."

They discussed how Russia's narrative appears more cohesive and motivated compared to America's declining dream and confidence.

Military Confidence & Motivation

Isaiah observed the contrast between Russian and Ukrainian military morale:

"I mean, the back of those armies, that that's pretty much you know, it's all you lose me the Russian fighters, they seem more motivated. You see Ukrainian fighters are dragging them out of their houses."

He referenced videos of Ukrainians being forcibly conscripted while Russians appear more willing to fight.

Media Figures & Journalism Integrity

The conversation covered various media personalities and their compromises:

On Tucker Carlson's Russia grocery store video:

"That's a really weird video, man. Yeah. That one's one of those that you you watch that. It was like, it makes you think of him differently."

Isaiah's Philosophy on Compromised Figures:

"I don't think it's the enemy of enemy friend line... I think they can still be fair thing. Nobody's ever gonna be that's why I that's why I wanna take more control your story now because I I said I I was frustrated with the people that I even looked up to."

The Epstein Network & Deep State

Both discussed the Epstein network as central to understanding current power structures:

Gary: "I mean, it's literally dude, he is the deep state."

Isaiah: "Yeah. Yeah. Literally, 100%."

Gary: "I mean, it's the network is the deep state. Right? So, like, basically, can we can have that be unraveled We're gonna we're gonna laugh, and we're all this unraveling for sure."

They discussed how various figures inadvertently reveal connections through their defensive reactions:

"Stephen King is, like, ranting on Twitter how the absentee foster conspiracy, even though he hates Trump. I was like, why don't you if you hate Trump, but you think conspiracy, why are you even talking?"

Spiritual Warfare & Deals with the Devil

Isaiah articulated a sophisticated understanding of spiritual corruption:

"The devil the deal he's gonna make with the devil, that's why he it doesn't even work. Man. Because this deal that you make with the devil, and if you want money or you want whatever the worldly pleasures, it's not the devil's world to give. So you're just buying into a fake a fake deal."

Gary: "I mean, let's worse than hell, bro... That is hell. That is hell. That actually is hell, actually."

Isaiah: "It can't work out. It might have worked out... you end up looking like fucking Peter Thiel, bro."

The Peter Thiel/Epstein Connection

They discussed videos exposing connections between Peter Thiel and the Epstein network:

Gary: "Truth will set us free, bro."

Isaiah: "I almost buy into even what these grifters say. It's like, maybe people don't because I I mean, like, we don't even know anything about Epstein... there's such a deep connection."

Cash Patel Critique & The Need for Courage

Gary and Isaiah critiqued Cash Patel's performance on podcasts as emblematic of the compromised nature of even "our side":

Isaiah: "He's like double Dangsters. This guy Cash, goes on Sean Ryan. Telling everybody, yeah. When I get in, I'm gonna turn the FBI museum into an into a deep state museum."

Gary's Key Quote: "In a world full of Isaiah's don't be a cash... In a world within Isaiah where you could be in Isaiah, don't be a cash. Right? Where God gives you the ability to be in Isaiah. Don't be a cash."

This became a central theme - Isaiah representing courage and integrity while Cash represents cowardice and compromise.

The Invitation of Cowardice

Gary: "Isaiah, do you realize that he his cowardice is just inviting courage. Do you know what I'm saying? It's inviting you to be contagious because you're like, oh my god. Like, there's so much work to be done."

Isaiah: "There's a lot. Yeah. That's actually the the beauty of it... That says the beauty also be this kind of world we live in. There's a lot lot of different places to to go. And to expose the truth."

Requirements for True Journalism

Gary: "It's because you have to be willing to die and not be paid by fucking some some corrupt pedophiles. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, wow. Those two things together is rare. It's rare."

Isaiah: "That's very wrong... But I'm I'm gonna send them my flight for for Vietnam."

Key Insights & Takeaways

1. Military Veteran Crisis: There's a growing crisis among military veterans realizing they fought wars that primarily benefited Israel rather than America, leading to mental health crises and potential suicide ideation.

2. Spiritual Warfare Framework: Both Gary and Isaiah view current geopolitical conflicts through a spiritual warfare lens, with Putin positioning himself as defending Orthodox Christianity against a spiritually corrupted West.

3. Narrative Competition: The effectiveness of Putin's theocratic narrative compared to America's declining "American Dream" narrative.

4. Media Compromise: Even alternative media figures are compromised, creating opportunity for authentic journalists willing to tell truth regardless of personal cost.

5. Deep State Network: The Epstein network represents the core of the deep state, with various figures inadvertently revealing connections through defensive reactions.

6. Spiritual Economics: "Deals with the devil" ultimately fail because they're based on false promises from entities that don't actually control what they claim to offer.

7. Courage as Contagious: Cowardice in leadership creates invitation and opportunity for courageous individuals to step up and fill the void.

8. Journalism Standards: True journalism requires willingness to die for truth and independence from corrupt funding sources - a rare combination.

Action Items & Future Plans

• Isaiah continuing his travel to Vietnam
• Ongoing Lebanon journalism project planning
• Continued "monk mode" focus on professional work over personal relationships
• Development of independent journalism voice frustrated with mainstream alternative media compromises

Notable Quotes

• "In a world full of Isaiah's don't be a cash" - Gary's characterization of the choice between courage and compromise
• "Everything is narrative driven, man. Everything is narrative driven." - Gary on the primacy of narrative in geopolitics
• "Truth will set us free, bro." - Gary on the ultimate power of truth-telling
• "There's a lot lot of different places to to go. And to expose the truth." - Isaiah on the abundance of opportunities for authentic journalism

Conclusion

This conversation reveals the deepening sophistication of both Gary and Isaiah's geopolitical analysis, their shared commitment to spiritual warfare framework for understanding current events, and Isaiah's evolution toward uncompromising truth-telling journalism. The discussion demonstrates their frustration with compromise in media figures they previously respected and their belief that authentic journalism requires willingness to sacrifice everything for truth.