We’re doing a deep dive into “The Men Who Stare at Goats” by Jon Ronson, who investigates the bizarre intersection of the “U.S. military” and the “paranormal”. The text describes how high-ranking officials and specialized units, influenced by “New Age philosophy”, attempted to master supernatural abilities like “invisibility”, “telepathy”, and “psychic healing”. Central to this narrative is the “First Earth Battalion”, a group of "warrior monks" who believed they could defeat enemies through spiritual harmony or even by “bursting the hearts of animals” with a mere glance. Ronson traces these eccentric ideas from the post-Vietnam era to modern psychological operations in the “War on Terror”. Through interviews with military figures and psychics, the source reveals a hidden history of “unconventional experiments” conducted within the heart of American intelligence.

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Now a major film, starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges, this New York Times bestseller is a disturbing and often hilarious look at the US military’s long flirtation with the paranormal—and the psy-op soldiers that are still fighting the battle.

Bizarre military history: In 1979, a crack commando unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known laws of physics and accepted military practice, they believed that a soldier could adopt the cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls, and—perhaps most chillingly—kill goats just by staring at them. They were the First Earth Battalion, entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries. And they really weren’t joking. What’s more, they’re back—and they’re fighting the War on Terror.

An uproarious exploration of American military paranoia: With investigations ranging from the mysterious “Goat Lab,” to Uri Geller’s covert psychic work with the CIA, to the increasingly bizarre role played by a succession of US presidents, this might just be the funniest, most unsettling book you will ever read—if only because it is all true and is still happening today.

Link to purchase “The Men Who Stare at Goats” by Jon Ronson

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