One gross arrogant burp - not funny Dean. Your self-righteous attack as a privileged white male on Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is actually all about you and virtue signalling. Please inform yourself first. Alisa has done a lot of ground-breaking and dangerous research and has come increasingly under attack. As a Latino woman in the US she is in a much more vulnerable situation than yourself esconced in Canada. BTW Lev Parnas (or someone using his name) threw the first punch and yet you did not apply the same critique to Lev’s emotional response Since when is it okay to excoriate and ridicule a woman for defending herself? Your double standard was painfully obvious.
I caught this episode in listen only mode while traveling. But good that I couldn't comment at the time. Because I would not have composed it as politely at the time.
Disappointed doesn't begin to describe my reaction to what I heard from Dean.
For fuck sake DEAN … GO INTERVIEW VICTIMS OF HAVANA SYNDROME AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Wow, Zev I appreciate your work based on research and facts. This judging people by vibes and misogynistic attacks on women from Dean are getting quite old. Stick to the news. If you supposedly don't know or care about a person then leave it alone and move on. Character assassinations and attacking people who support someone else are not productive. Denver has attacked Ellie on SubStack and I don't see you sticking up for her like this. I am done with Dean and Lev's whining and victimization diatribes.
Love Zev- really tired of Dean tho —his shock jock history allows him to drop his F bomb which is also old! Attn seeking much? Bc I believe he is intelligent but he likes attn more— I really look forward to the 5 stacks when Dean is “out” bc he is so wearing, when I’m looking for intelligence and thoughtful content -lately I often need a break from Dean, and now his misogynistic contempt for Alisa (Pulitzer prize nominated and Columbia journalism grad whose investigative journalism is outstanding) is too much!
I totally agree. Dean can be funny sometimes and I do believe he has a big heart but his misgyny and his weird attitude about sexuality makes me want to turn the show off. I have seen him on other shows and for some reason he is particularly repugnant on the FiveStack.
I didn't say anything about Zev. I love Zev, he is amazing. However, just want to let Zev know that allowing Dean to go on these diatribes makes me think about whether or not I want to listen to the FiveStack unfortunately.
Dean Blundell Blocked me from my Annual Sub on Saturday, May 30th. Now I’m Blocked from the FiveStack Live Chat. Despite my $140 to the NARATIV. No Loss. I Don’t want to See or Hear from Dean again.
FiveStack is available LIVE on YouTube. Can’t imagine Why you’d be Blocked. Maybe a SubStack goof. If you’re a Subscriber to Dean, there will be an Email sent to you from him stating your Account is Done For. It took me a Few Days to Catch On.
Yes, I have been blocked. Maybe one of his assistants did it. I didn’t think Dean Blundell would be such a snowflake, especially as I did not in anyway disrespect his support of Lev Parnas. Yes. I’ve had to turn to YouTube but the endless ads are soul destroying.
Zev, please help Dean get his head straight - he's fallen into the infighting trap, and it's showing his ugly side. Dean, you say it's all about the Epstein files, if that's true how have you not been reading Alisa? Take the cue and get up to speed!
I happened to watch today's Five Stack live or, at least, the beginning of it. I was appalled, although not surprised, by Dean's comments and behaviour. It seems Dean, like Lev, has also moved the starting point of the story to omit the part where Lev's head volunteer/campaign manager sent a highly derogatory e-mail and community chat note about Alisa Valdes Rodriguez (pronounce it correctly, Dean). Dean should have stuck with his comment that he didn't get in the middle of these things. Threatening to end someone's career is hardly the way to stay out of online disputes.
I am surprised and disappointed that Zev did not stand up for Alisa more firmly. I have watched Alisa on lives with Zev, Ellie and Waj. I was impressed by her background and what she had to say about Zorro Ranch. It seems further investigative work on that area, particularly from someone with so much local knowledge, is now lost.
Zev, I admire and appreciate your work and watch anything in which you appear as well as enjoy whatever you write, but shall do so now with a more watchful eye. However, due to Dean's entirely unprofessional conduct, bloviations and frequent misinformation, I have unsubscribed from him. As it was, I had only been able to watch Five Stack as a recording which enabled me to mute Dean and read the subtitles.
I understand that there are a lot of horrible things going on in the world, indeed, in some of our own lives, but let's not let it get the better of us. At our core, we all want mostly the same peaceful, factually informed existence.
I received the email and it was from Lev’s volunteer coordinator Jay. It was very triggering for me as well and inappropriate of Jay to send it. Lev went on the attack disregarding the fact that Alisa’s response was directly related to the email that someone she knows who is subscribed to both shared with her. Her reaction may have been a bit much but hey she is entitled to be triggered also. Lev is the king of over the top reactiveness. This all has been so over the top and Dean’s comments.. he should’ve left it at he doesn’t get involved in that stuff and that people make it about them and not the story.. he actually ended up doing exactly that and personally calling out a journalist… and a female minority journalist. Dean professes being a stoic and this was far from stoic. Not commenting on Alisa’s stuff except that we are all human and have our stuff. I love the 5 stack though will be paying closer attention to the arrogance and misogyny that seems to be flourishing here. Zev is a gentleman and always professional and kind.
Dawn, I was about to post the email but I see Truthsayer beat me to it. I recommend you read it as well as Alisa's other posts to get a fuller picture of what she has been going through that now prevents her from coming forward. Frankly, accepting one of Lev's invitations to spontaneously appear on his live at his command while he's all worked up is rather like a bully demanding "come here so I (and my posse) can punch you." That's a NOPE!
I just want to say that there’s been some wild shit going on about Zev and Dean and friends and it’s pretty clear people are saying all sorts of things to split them up. So …. That’s what Dean is reacting too. I’m trusting these them.
I still feel pretty good about all those people. I’ve also heard these two go on and on about women journalists they admire. But they can be male-centric. Right now I’ll take any fighters male or female. Data driven men sometimes miss nuances. But they are still headed in the right direction— I believe. I just don’t want us to splinter.
Laurie, I think we all have to be careful of "Cancel Culture."
All people make mistakes. Even Alisa in how she communicated and by not communicating now.
I guess I have more latitude for personalities. Lev is an emotional, invested guy. Dean a straight on guy who does a good job at looking at the past and present. Both have a good feeling about what people are thinking and saying and that is really important. Zev, always a proper gentleman and an incredible investigator.
I don't know if you will ever get that balance you are looking for. After all, all people are different in how they approach the world and communicate. And that difference brings incredible insights to the table.
Appreciate your comments and nice talking with you.
Zev Shalev is, as always, the consummate gentleman. Alisa Vales-Rodriguez has undertaken groundbreaking, and potentially dangerous, investigative work into the alleged connections between Zorro Ranch and both domestic and foreign intelligence networks. As the saying goes, “coincidence takes a lot of planning.”
In light of recent events, she has come to believe that her personal safety may be under threat. If she has reacted strongly to criticism or attacks from other Substack writers, she deserves a degree of understanding and empathy. Dean Blundell could have shown her greater compassion.
I have noticed that the Five Stack has disappeared from my feed. I now find that Dean Blundell has blocked me for comments I made regarding his treatment of a fellow journalist. It's disappointing to see someone who regularly delivers sharp criticism of others to be unwilling to accept even mild feedback about his own behaviour from members of his audience.
I've been following both Dean and Zev Shalev for over a year, but this situation has also impacted my access to Zev's posts, despite being a paying subscriber. That makes the whole experience even more frustrating as we are all working to save democracy in America.
Rather than creating a pseudonymous account to work around the block, I would appreciate it if someone could reach out to Dean and ask him to unblock me.
Everyone is threatening everyone, including Lev Parnas. I have been with Lev since the beginning but he was dead wrong what he said on Live. Be accountable for what you say. Don’t play both sides.
Attacking other people brings oneself down! I’m disappointed in your attitude Dean. Do you know her whole situation! It seems this is not the first time someone has been black walled by “The Group” on Substack! Be the bigger person and take a page from PM Mark Carney!
I do not think we have the right to judge whether there is a valid attack on Alissa. These are not the times to assume everything is normal.
I think it's unfair to have the expectation of someone proving they have evidence of who is attacking them at this point in time. I wish everyone would just relax and not judge and leave this to 4 or 5 people at the actual center of this.
Today was rough for me. I had my reasons for once sending Dean a DM with a concern about someone else and I never heard back. I’m not someone who ever tries to start trouble, so feeling attacked by someone who I support financially felt really awful. I know today’s attack wasn’t aimed specifically at me but it still felt really harsh. I ended up crying and signing off. The FiveStack has been one of my favorite parts of Substack, but I don’t think I’ll be able to watch anymore.
"cabal of paid subscribers," ha! I think we can all retire the word cabal for the next century because we all know what it means and what it doesn't. Dean you can write alright, and I appreciate your acidic, muscular bitchiness about my country, you guys make my beltway commute tolerable. Your knee-jerk bs attack on the best writing journalist that Ive read in years, perhaps ever, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, is totally insensitive. Her family history of colonization is more relevant to US history than you'll ever be. Talk about inserting yourself! It's nice that you have a safe perch to critique your fellow fighters from, but are you only going for the asshole market, or what?
I have increasingly noticed the male-focused culture on Substack and have called out Dean Blundell, among others, for sexist language and the harsh scrutiny often directed at women. I have followed Ellie Leonard since her early days as the Panicked Unpaid Writer, and Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez since she began writing about her personal experiences with fascism in the land of her ancestors and documenting her deep research on Zorro Ranch in New Mexico.
Ellie has earned recognition within the so-called “boys’ club” through the sheer quality and consistency of her work. Alisa’s research and writing are equally rigorous and deserving of respect. Unfortunately, the old adage still rings true: women are often expected to work twice as hard to receive the same recognition, while also facing disproportionate criticism when they speak out about misogyny. All too often, this is happening alongside the invisible labour of raising children and caring for ageing parents.
Personally, I rather support Substack writers who invest in genuine investigation, thoughtful analysis, and deep research than those who rely on outrage and shock-jock commentary for attention.
Dean, before passing judgement, I would encourage you to take the time to read Alisa’s work properly.
Well I made it through 6 minutes of this. Yet another substack that I can no longer have clog my inbox. It is like watching people in middle school. Too bad as it does not do the epstein survivors any good at all, and other important topics were being covered that are also diminished.
One gross arrogant burp - not funny Dean. Your self-righteous attack as a privileged white male on Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is actually all about you and virtue signalling. Please inform yourself first. Alisa has done a lot of ground-breaking and dangerous research and has come increasingly under attack. As a Latino woman in the US she is in a much more vulnerable situation than yourself esconced in Canada. BTW Lev Parnas (or someone using his name) threw the first punch and yet you did not apply the same critique to Lev’s emotional response Since when is it okay to excoriate and ridicule a woman for defending herself? Your double standard was painfully obvious.
AGREED.
I absolutely agree.
100%
Thank you Truthsayer.
I caught this episode in listen only mode while traveling. But good that I couldn't comment at the time. Because I would not have composed it as politely at the time.
Disappointed doesn't begin to describe my reaction to what I heard from Dean.
For fuck sake DEAN … GO INTERVIEW VICTIMS OF HAVANA SYNDROME AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Thank you and his lack of awareness is simply incommensurate at this level with youb Zev'.
His slip is showing…
Thank you Dean. Well done. I am going to listen to whoever I thinkb is credible.
Wow, Zev I appreciate your work based on research and facts. This judging people by vibes and misogynistic attacks on women from Dean are getting quite old. Stick to the news. If you supposedly don't know or care about a person then leave it alone and move on. Character assassinations and attacking people who support someone else are not productive. Denver has attacked Ellie on SubStack and I don't see you sticking up for her like this. I am done with Dean and Lev's whining and victimization diatribes.
Love Zev- really tired of Dean tho —his shock jock history allows him to drop his F bomb which is also old! Attn seeking much? Bc I believe he is intelligent but he likes attn more— I really look forward to the 5 stacks when Dean is “out” bc he is so wearing, when I’m looking for intelligence and thoughtful content -lately I often need a break from Dean, and now his misogynistic contempt for Alisa (Pulitzer prize nominated and Columbia journalism grad whose investigative journalism is outstanding) is too much!
I totally agree. Dean can be funny sometimes and I do believe he has a big heart but his misgyny and his weird attitude about sexuality makes me want to turn the show off. I have seen him on other shows and for some reason he is particularly repugnant on the FiveStack.
No shit. I didn't renew Deano but will stick around for another year of Narativ which has civility as a baseline.
Correction: Dean’s Whining. Zev’s “The Man”.
I didn't say anything about Zev. I love Zev, he is amazing. However, just want to let Zev know that allowing Dean to go on these diatribes makes me think about whether or not I want to listen to the FiveStack unfortunately.
Yes, I love Zev Shalev too for his thoughtfulness and kindness. Dean's misogynistic rant is no reflection on Zev ❤️
I caught that! Corrected it in a Reply. Didn’t delete it ‘cuz it already got likes for Our Love of Zev.
Dean Blundell Blocked me from my Annual Sub on Saturday, May 30th. Now I’m Blocked from the FiveStack Live Chat. Despite my $140 to the NARATIV. No Loss. I Don’t want to See or Hear from Dean again.
I have just discovered that I’ve been blocked also. I often miss out on the Five Stack even though I am a subscriber to Zev.
FiveStack is available LIVE on YouTube. Can’t imagine Why you’d be Blocked. Maybe a SubStack goof. If you’re a Subscriber to Dean, there will be an Email sent to you from him stating your Account is Done For. It took me a Few Days to Catch On.
Yes, I have been blocked. Maybe one of his assistants did it. I didn’t think Dean Blundell would be such a snowflake, especially as I did not in anyway disrespect his support of Lev Parnas. Yes. I’ve had to turn to YouTube but the endless ads are soul destroying.
Whoops. On Lev’s Whining. Wealthy White Men Whining! WTF?!
Zev, please help Dean get his head straight - he's fallen into the infighting trap, and it's showing his ugly side. Dean, you say it's all about the Epstein files, if that's true how have you not been reading Alisa? Take the cue and get up to speed!
yes, but…..
Alyssa is the only one really talking about Zorro. No one! is saying anything.
Mari. Did you hear Zevs piece with the radio journalist?
Dean, please stop attacking someone you don’t know.
I happened to watch today's Five Stack live or, at least, the beginning of it. I was appalled, although not surprised, by Dean's comments and behaviour. It seems Dean, like Lev, has also moved the starting point of the story to omit the part where Lev's head volunteer/campaign manager sent a highly derogatory e-mail and community chat note about Alisa Valdes Rodriguez (pronounce it correctly, Dean). Dean should have stuck with his comment that he didn't get in the middle of these things. Threatening to end someone's career is hardly the way to stay out of online disputes.
I am surprised and disappointed that Zev did not stand up for Alisa more firmly. I have watched Alisa on lives with Zev, Ellie and Waj. I was impressed by her background and what she had to say about Zorro Ranch. It seems further investigative work on that area, particularly from someone with so much local knowledge, is now lost.
Zev, I admire and appreciate your work and watch anything in which you appear as well as enjoy whatever you write, but shall do so now with a more watchful eye. However, due to Dean's entirely unprofessional conduct, bloviations and frequent misinformation, I have unsubscribed from him. As it was, I had only been able to watch Five Stack as a recording which enabled me to mute Dean and read the subtitles.
I understand that there are a lot of horrible things going on in the world, indeed, in some of our own lives, but let's not let it get the better of us. At our core, we all want mostly the same peaceful, factually informed existence.
Laurie, no one has seen the personal email that went between Alissa and Jay? Thus, how can we make a determination of what happened?
I wonder why hasn't Alissa come forward? Be nice if she would communicate directly?
As to Zev and Dean (Lev, Ellie, Denver). I appreciate the difference in their personalities. Good dynamics, information and insights.
Americans deserve better.
I received the email and it was from Lev’s volunteer coordinator Jay. It was very triggering for me as well and inappropriate of Jay to send it. Lev went on the attack disregarding the fact that Alisa’s response was directly related to the email that someone she knows who is subscribed to both shared with her. Her reaction may have been a bit much but hey she is entitled to be triggered also. Lev is the king of over the top reactiveness. This all has been so over the top and Dean’s comments.. he should’ve left it at he doesn’t get involved in that stuff and that people make it about them and not the story.. he actually ended up doing exactly that and personally calling out a journalist… and a female minority journalist. Dean professes being a stoic and this was far from stoic. Not commenting on Alisa’s stuff except that we are all human and have our stuff. I love the 5 stack though will be paying closer attention to the arrogance and misogyny that seems to be flourishing here. Zev is a gentleman and always professional and kind.
Yes, Dean actually did make it about himself and his supposed "defence" of Lev Parnas was actually an attack on Alisa.
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez did publish on 20 May the original email that was supposedly sent from Lev Parnas’ account. You can read it here...
https://substack.com/@alisavaldes/note/c-262328392?r=1bc4kq&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
Dawn, I was about to post the email but I see Truthsayer beat me to it. I recommend you read it as well as Alisa's other posts to get a fuller picture of what she has been going through that now prevents her from coming forward. Frankly, accepting one of Lev's invitations to spontaneously appear on his live at his command while he's all worked up is rather like a bully demanding "come here so I (and my posse) can punch you." That's a NOPE!
I just want to say that there’s been some wild shit going on about Zev and Dean and friends and it’s pretty clear people are saying all sorts of things to split them up. So …. That’s what Dean is reacting too. I’m trusting these them.
Frankly, I don’t know who to believe anymore. I think Zev is authentic. Lev parnas-no. Denver Riggleman- no.
Sure hope Dean is still objective.
The attack on WOMEN who are noted journalists and aspiring journalists tells me that they are hitting a nerve on the “good ole boy” club.
I still feel pretty good about all those people. I’ve also heard these two go on and on about women journalists they admire. But they can be male-centric. Right now I’ll take any fighters male or female. Data driven men sometimes miss nuances. But they are still headed in the right direction— I believe. I just don’t want us to splinter.
Laurie, I think we all have to be careful of "Cancel Culture."
All people make mistakes. Even Alisa in how she communicated and by not communicating now.
I guess I have more latitude for personalities. Lev is an emotional, invested guy. Dean a straight on guy who does a good job at looking at the past and present. Both have a good feeling about what people are thinking and saying and that is really important. Zev, always a proper gentleman and an incredible investigator.
I don't know if you will ever get that balance you are looking for. After all, all people are different in how they approach the world and communicate. And that difference brings incredible insights to the table.
Appreciate your comments and nice talking with you.
Americans deserve better.
Zev Shalev is, as always, the consummate gentleman. Alisa Vales-Rodriguez has undertaken groundbreaking, and potentially dangerous, investigative work into the alleged connections between Zorro Ranch and both domestic and foreign intelligence networks. As the saying goes, “coincidence takes a lot of planning.”
In light of recent events, she has come to believe that her personal safety may be under threat. If she has reacted strongly to criticism or attacks from other Substack writers, she deserves a degree of understanding and empathy. Dean Blundell could have shown her greater compassion.
I have noticed that the Five Stack has disappeared from my feed. I now find that Dean Blundell has blocked me for comments I made regarding his treatment of a fellow journalist. It's disappointing to see someone who regularly delivers sharp criticism of others to be unwilling to accept even mild feedback about his own behaviour from members of his audience.
I've been following both Dean and Zev Shalev for over a year, but this situation has also impacted my access to Zev's posts, despite being a paying subscriber. That makes the whole experience even more frustrating as we are all working to save democracy in America.
Rather than creating a pseudonymous account to work around the block, I would appreciate it if someone could reach out to Dean and ask him to unblock me.
I forwarded your message to Dean.
Much appreciated 🙏
Well said.
Everyone is threatening everyone, including Lev Parnas. I have been with Lev since the beginning but he was dead wrong what he said on Live. Be accountable for what you say. Don’t play both sides.
Well that rant was mildly terrifying to listen to after having sent what felt like a short, calm 'heads up' DM during the chaos. Jesus. 😂
Anyway, hope everybody survives the dramasplosion. Good talk ✌️
Attacking other people brings oneself down! I’m disappointed in your attitude Dean. Do you know her whole situation! It seems this is not the first time someone has been black walled by “The Group” on Substack! Be the bigger person and take a page from PM Mark Carney!
I do not think we have the right to judge whether there is a valid attack on Alissa. These are not the times to assume everything is normal.
I think it's unfair to have the expectation of someone proving they have evidence of who is attacking them at this point in time. I wish everyone would just relax and not judge and leave this to 4 or 5 people at the actual center of this.
Today was rough for me. I had my reasons for once sending Dean a DM with a concern about someone else and I never heard back. I’m not someone who ever tries to start trouble, so feeling attacked by someone who I support financially felt really awful. I know today’s attack wasn’t aimed specifically at me but it still felt really harsh. I ended up crying and signing off. The FiveStack has been one of my favorite parts of Substack, but I don’t think I’ll be able to watch anymore.
I'm really sorry you had a rough day, Gina. Sending good vibes your way. 🫂
Thank you so much for the kind response. It helps. 💜🙂
I'm glad. 🙂💙
"cabal of paid subscribers," ha! I think we can all retire the word cabal for the next century because we all know what it means and what it doesn't. Dean you can write alright, and I appreciate your acidic, muscular bitchiness about my country, you guys make my beltway commute tolerable. Your knee-jerk bs attack on the best writing journalist that Ive read in years, perhaps ever, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, is totally insensitive. Her family history of colonization is more relevant to US history than you'll ever be. Talk about inserting yourself! It's nice that you have a safe perch to critique your fellow fighters from, but are you only going for the asshole market, or what?
I have increasingly noticed the male-focused culture on Substack and have called out Dean Blundell, among others, for sexist language and the harsh scrutiny often directed at women. I have followed Ellie Leonard since her early days as the Panicked Unpaid Writer, and Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez since she began writing about her personal experiences with fascism in the land of her ancestors and documenting her deep research on Zorro Ranch in New Mexico.
Ellie has earned recognition within the so-called “boys’ club” through the sheer quality and consistency of her work. Alisa’s research and writing are equally rigorous and deserving of respect. Unfortunately, the old adage still rings true: women are often expected to work twice as hard to receive the same recognition, while also facing disproportionate criticism when they speak out about misogyny. All too often, this is happening alongside the invisible labour of raising children and caring for ageing parents.
Personally, I rather support Substack writers who invest in genuine investigation, thoughtful analysis, and deep research than those who rely on outrage and shock-jock commentary for attention.
Dean, before passing judgement, I would encourage you to take the time to read Alisa’s work properly.
The correct mantra is Crypto is for Criminals.
Also... Dean, stop being misogynistic towards women.
Dean: blah blah blah blah blah.
Well I made it through 6 minutes of this. Yet another substack that I can no longer have clog my inbox. It is like watching people in middle school. Too bad as it does not do the epstein survivors any good at all, and other important topics were being covered that are also diminished.