Brian Platzer: A Story that Literally Couldn't be Told

The Gist

Peach Fish Productions

Daily News, News

4.5 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Novelist and middle school teacher Brian Platzer discusses the real teacher who inspired his book, a stroke that stole the man's ability to communicate, and Platzer's own baffling neurological disorder. In the Spiel: when deeply unserious rhetoric collides with the deadly serious business of war, and whether Donald Trump's approach to conflict ever moves beyond slogans. Plus, the cheap-drone revolution in warfare. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 from Peachfish Productions. It's the gist. I'm Mike Peska.
0:09.6	Today it was announced that the U.S. has sunk its first enemy ship, an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, via torpedo, for the first time since World War II.
0:20.6	But as those munitions of yesteryear are a curiosity,
0:24.3	the war-making technology of today
0:26.6	playing the biggest part in this conflict are drones.
0:29.7	Drones are cheap and effective.
0:32.2	And even if most are intercepted or shot down,
0:34.9	Iran has thousands of them.
0:36.9	The Shahed is called a kamikaze drone, which I prefer to the phrase suicide drone, when they're
0:41.8	mostly used for homicide.
0:43.4	They cost between $35,000 and $50,000.
0:46.6	So for less than the price of a fully loaded Toyota Camry, Iran is capable and has been
0:52.4	striking civilian targets like hotels in Dubai and also the
0:56.5	occasional U.S. military asset.
0:59.0	The United States anticipating this countered by grabbing some Shahed drones and turning
1:05.7	them around against the Iranians.
1:08.4	These drones are known as the Lucas drones, low-cost, unmanned combat attack
1:13.7	system. Cool, but the name, the Lucas sounds like some kind of indie actor. Can't you do better
1:20.8	United States, which gave us Epic Fury and Midnight Hammer? Of course you can. This was Admiral Brad
1:27.4	Cooper head of Centcom.
1:29.3	Also for the first time, U.S. Central Command's drone task force called Task Force Scorpion Strike
1:34.6	launched countless one-way attack drones, achieving massive effects. I'd like to point out
	...

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