An Americanist
Welcome to An Americanist, your go-to solo podcast for a quick and snarky dive into the current events and politics shaping our nation! As a daily extension of the An Americanist blog, I’m here to break down the headlines that matter—Monday through Friday—without the fluff and filler.
In each bite-sized episode, I tackle the latest political news, dissect current events, and share my unfiltered thoughts, all with a sprinkle of humor and a touch of sass. From legislative shenanigans to social issues stirring the pot, I’ll keep you informed and entertained in just a few minutes each day.
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An Americanist
Self-Amputation, Hidden Homes, and Cars in the Chicago River
Strange news dominates this Friday morning episode as we explore bizarre and disturbing stories that defy ordinary explanation.
The most shocking report involves a UK vascular surgeon who was jailed after deliberately causing frostbite to his own legs with dry ice, leading to their amputation. This disturbing case of self-mutilation was motivated by a sexual interest in amputation and complicated by insurance fraud when he claimed the injuries resulted from sepsis. The story raises uncomfortable parallels to body integrity disorders and our society's approach to psychological disturbances.
We also track the continuing manhunt for Travis Decker, the army veteran with survival expertise who allegedly murdered his three young daughters and has evaded capture for over three months. While bones were recently discovered during a grid search, they proved not to be human, leaving this tragic case unresolved with a $20,000 reward still offered for information.
The episode covers two additional extraordinary stories: an Oregon man discovered living in a fully-furnished crawl space of a condominium complex, complete with stolen electronics and furniture; and dive teams finding nearly 100 cars mysteriously submerged in the Chicago River while searching for a couple who vanished in 1970. We wrap up with a lighthearted discussion about what we'd do if we won the current record-breaking lottery jackpot—would you keep working? Travel? Buy a new home?
Subscribe to my YouTube channel where I'm creating quick videos during lunch breaks. Your support helps grow our community of curious minds who appreciate these strange-but-true stories that remind us just how mysterious our world can be.
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Good morning, it's Friday. We made it. I have some interesting stories. We have some bizarre stories, some interesting stories and an update story. Where should I start? Where should I start? First of all, please go subscribe to my YouTube channel. That would be great. Just look at YouTube and Americanist, and I've put a bunch of YouTube videos out on X, on my X feed. Just click on any of those. You'll be able to find me and subscribe. Let's start with the most bizarre. Let me find it.
Speaker 1:This guy, this surgeon, neil Hopper, jailed after amputation of his own legs. I saw this story Matt Walsh posted it last night, and so, of course, I had to go see for myself. Was this true? I searched it and, sure enough, it is true. This is disgusting and it's because of his sexual perversion. I mean, this is no difference than trans. This is no difference than trans. This is from the BBC and it was 16 hours ago. Let's see an nhs. This guy is over in england. I think he's not here in america. He did this to himself. Uh, I don't get it. I don't get it all right. Here we go. An nhs vascular surgeon who had his own legs removed has been jailed for two years and eight months for insurance fraud and processing oh I'm sorry and possessing extreme pornography.
Speaker 1:Hello, neil Hopper, 49 years old, of Truro, cornwall, carried out hundreds of amputation operations before having his own legs removed in 2019. So I don't know if this article goes on to tell it. I may have read it in a different article, but he kind of messaged and communicated with another person who is in jail for life for doing the same thing. All right, I think it's a little more nuanced than that with the other guy, but we're talking about this guy here. The Truro Crown Court heard he lied to insurers by claiming that injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and not self-inflicted. This guy did this to himself. He put ice on his legs and he put dry ice on his legs to cause damage so he can have them amputated.
Speaker 1:This is so disturbing. Remember back when the trans thing was happening and some people said would you take a person to go get their limb amputated? Of course not. Well, here you go. Here you have it. The court heard Hopper, who admitted two counts of fraud and three of possessing extreme pornography. I mean, pornography is extreme anyway, is it not Okay? I don't know. I don't even want to know I don't want to know had a sexual interest in amputation? What this is so gross? I don't get it. I don't. What is wrong with people? What is wrong? Somebody needs to to observe their brains. Do we not have people to do that, as all the medic in all of the medical industrial complex that we have? You think we would have scientists that would be seriously looking at disturbed people? I mean, please do something. I don't get it. You can go finish reading that, because I'm just going to sit here and go on and on about. I can't believe it. I can't believe it. I can't believe it. This is really gross. It's on my x file if you would like to go see it.
Speaker 1:All right, next story up. Remember this guy, uh, travis Decker, who murdered his daughters. He was kind of like, oh it well, he's a veteran. He was kind of like a homeless guy. He didn't really have a steady home to provide for his daughters. His wife and he were divorced. Why he was able to get custody of these girls I mean not custody why he was able to take them for the weekend with not having a home is beyond me. What is wrong with the system? This is from the New York Post. Anyway, there were some bones found and they thought it might be him and it's not. So he is still on the run. Y'all.
Speaker 1:The FBI said Wednesday that remains discovered during last week's grid search for fugitive father Travis Decker were reviewed and found not to be human. Officials recovered bones during their two-day search of Washington campgrounds on August 25th through the 26th as part of the manhunt for Decker, the man accused of murdering his three daughters. The bones were analyzed and found to not be human. Yeah, we got that already During the search. Personal recovery yeah, we got that Okay. So anyway, it's not him already during the search. Personal recovery yeah, we got that okay. So, anyway, it's not him. It's not. He is still on the run. Be on the lookout. The us marshal service is offering up to twenty thousand dollars for information leading to his arrest. Uh, where, maybe confirmed? Um, okay, decker, an army veteran with survivor x with survival expertise, has evaded capture for more than three months. Authorities began searching for him on June 2nd, when he failed to return his daughters, peyton, who was nine, evelyn, who was eight, and Olivia, who was five. The children's body were discovered near Rock Island Campground along Icicle Creek with bags over their heads, goodness gracious, so he's still on the run. They need to find him.
Speaker 1:Okay, this next story is creepy. Oregon man discovered living inside tricked-out crawl space in quaint condo complex. What would you do if you found this out? Oh, this is so weird and disturbing Residents of a. So we have a, we have a, something like this, and out we live in townhomes. We have something like this in our upstairs bedroom with a crawl space. I've never been in it. I wonder, you know, sometimes I wonder, wonder, I wonder if anybody's living up there. All right, so anyway, let's read the story. Residents of a quaint oregon condominium of course it's oregon, of course this explains everything condominium complex shockingly discovered a man living inside a crawl space at the residences for an unknown but extended amount of time, according to cops and photos of his makeshift abode. Oh, yeah, it's nice I could live there. That's not bad. Wow, he's got lights strung up. Yeah, that's not bad.
Speaker 1:The disturbing discovery was made on Wednesday by sheriff deputies who responded to a late-night call from the condos in which a resident reported seeing a strange man park his car and meander behind one of the buildings. So he has a car too. The caller said they noticed that the door to a crawl space was left open and that there was a light coming from inside, which shouldn't have been possible as there was no power. The homeowner told authorities. The residents admitted to hearing strange noises coming from the crawlspace in the past, but had never investigated. According to the sheriff's office, deputies wound up having to force their way into the crawlspace and found Buecher inside, surrounded by furnishings he allegedly stole over time, including a bed, televisions, chargers and other electronics sapping power from the home. Other items visible in photos taken by sheriff deputies, including an Xbox controller, an electric fan and a worn camping chair. Officials said that Buecher had taken significant steps to improve the conditions inside the homey crawlspace and was obviously living inside. Yeah, he has been. They've had pictures of it.
Speaker 1:He was charged with burglary in the first degree and later unlawful possession of methamphetamines Uh-oh, methamphetamines, oh boy, all right. Well, there you go. A woman who claimed to share a five-year-old daughter with Buecher apologized on his behalf and wrote that jail and probation is the only thing that keeps him clean. Oh, wow, so that's sad. All right, let's see. Oh, this is interesting. This is. I think this is the best one for the last real quick dive teams find nearly 100 cars submerged in chicago river while searching for missing couple in 1970 cold case. What I need to see images of this. This is insane and crazy.
Speaker 1:Nearly 100 y'all were found submerged in the Chicago River as dive teams searched for a missing couple in a decades-old cold case. According to reports and authorities, edward and Stefana Andrews disappeared on May 15, 1970, while driving home in their Oldsmobile from a cocktail party at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Chicago. The couple was reported missing the following Monday, but over half a century later authorities know little about their disappearance. Investigators renewed their efforts to find the couple in 1994, but found few answers. The outlet reported In another attempt, the Chaos Drivers team took the plunge into the Chicago River last Wednesday to find the couple's car.
Speaker 1:According to the publication Wow, during the dive the team found a whopping 97 cars submerged in the river. So is it 97 or is it 100? Come on, most of the cars were found in localized piles of 12 to 19 vehicles in one spot. Is this how we used to dispose of cars back in the day? Just throw them in the river? I wonder what. Wow, we were a little bit more interested in those cars. That's kind of the one off or just one vehicle by itself, because that's going to be more indicative of an accident.
Speaker 1:Tell me about the other cars too. I understand you're investigating this cold case, but I need to know about the other cars. What is that about, please? Somebody tell me. All right, they have successfully helped, let's see. The dive team was helping investigate 10 cold cases while in Chicago using sonar search. They don't tell me anything about the cars. They just said they found them. I need to know more about this. All right, maybe they'll have updates. I doubt it. Why do you think there are 100 cars, like 20 piled up at a time? What is going on with that? I mean, I understand Chicago had mobs back then, but 100 cars, I guess. So, all right, we need to move on to the question of the day. All right, let's talk about the lottery, since it's so gigantic now. I think this is the biggest amount ever in a lottery.
Speaker 1:If you played and you won, what would you do? I heard some of the girls talking here at work the other day and they said oh yeah, we'd come right back to work. We might take a few days off, but we'd come back to work. What else am I going to do? Travel, see the world, not work. I don't know what I would do. I would not say anything to anybody for the longest time I would probably just hand it over to my husband and say, okay, you do this because he's really good at money management and all that stuff and investments, and uh. But what I would want to do is I would want to move out of the house we're in right now. I would want to stay here where we are, get a newer house, maybe a little bit bigger house, not bigger. We really don't need that big of a house. It's just the two of us. But uh, there was a lot of things I would do with it. Obviously we're not gonna win.
Speaker 1:I don't know why we talk about these silly things like this. I would travel a little bit maybe. I don't know that. I'd want to travel, though right now I don't know what. Not to any big cities that I want, you know. I don't know how I would, I don't know what. Not to any big cities that I want, you know. I don't know how I would try. I don't want to go overseas anywhere right now, that's for sure. I don't know. I don't know what I would do Probably nothing Upgrade the home a little bit and maybe get a car. I don't know. I don't need a new car, though I like the car I have. I'd definitely set up the future for the kids, that's for sure, and Cameron of course. Anyway, I know that's all dumb because we're not going to win anyway. All right, gotta go. Have a great weekend.
Speaker 1:The Gent and I will be back on Sunday morning at Brood Awakening and please go subscribe to my YouTube videos. I am having so much fun doing those stupid videos. I do them in my car at lunchtime, y'all. I don't know if you've noticed that or not. I have that background. That was just kind of an accidental find. I mean, I made the background, obviously, but as far as finding how to use it in a video, that was an accidental find. I just love learning to do these new things like that. And then, of course, I have a teleprompter that I read from I don't know if you can tell that or not I'll write something and put it in a teleprompter. It's just fun, it's quick, it's easy, it's fun. No-transcript.
