Koji Steven Sakai tunes the “Dead Air” signal to 1997 to pull the world’s most untouchable brand into a South Pasadena garage for an audit. Mother Teresa built a legacy on the "beauty of suffering," but the receipts tell a different story. From running 14th-century-style plague wards while seeking world-class cardiac care for herself, to her cozy relationships with dictators and a $1.25 million thrift-store scandal, Koji cross-examines the "small pencil" to see if her moral ledger actually balances out.

THE AUDIT TRAIL

Medical Standards & The "Philosophy of Suffering"

• The Lancet Report: A medical critique of the "hospice" standards in Calcutta: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(94)92353-1/fulltext
• The Scripps Clinic: Details on Mother Teresa's high-end heart treatments in California: https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/08/world/mother-teresa-is-hospitalized-with-pneumonia-and-heart-illness.html
• The "Kiss of Jesus": The primary critique of her views on pain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Missionary_Position:_Mother_Teresa_in_Theory_and_Practice

The Dictators & The Donors

• The Duvalier Connection: Her 1981 visit to Haiti to praise the "Baby Doc" regime: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/04/mother-teresa-sainthood-charles-keating/
• The Keating Letter: The actual letter sent by the prosecutor asking Mother Teresa to return stolen money: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/10/the-fanatic-fraudulent-mother-teresa.html

The Faith Audit

• The Crisis of Faith: Her private letters revealing 50 years of feeling "no God": https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Teresa-Come-My-Light/dp/0307332078
• The Monica Besra "Miracle": The controversial medical evidence behind her canonization: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/20/india.religion

SOUND CREDITS

• Gravel Footsteps (Sassaby): https://freesound.org/s/827831/
• Vicki Hamilton: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/394326/
• Freesound Community: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/48537/
• Freesound Community: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/34545/
• Pixabay Effect 240674: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/240674/

Next Episode: Koji goes back to the 1940s to audit FDR and the "Splendid Deception" behind Executive Order 9066.

Subscribe and leave an audit (review) on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Koji Steven Sakai drags Thomas Jefferson into a South Pasadena garage for a long-overdue audit. Using the “Dead Air” signal, Koji cross-examines the Founding Father on the massive plot holes in his legacy—from his 600-person forced labor camp to the massive debts that kept his own children in the service entrance. It’s a deep dive into the man who wrote the script for freedom but couldn't afford to live it.

The Audit Trail (References)
Slavery & Labor:

• The Nailery: Monticello's "Nail Boys"
• Sally Hemings: Life at Monticello | PBS NewsHour
• 1800 Election: The Three-Fifths Clause

Financials & Gadgets:

• Jefferson Bible: The "Razor and Glue" Gospels
• The Mammoth Cheese: 1,200lbs of Symbolism
• The Polygraph: The 18th Century CC Machine
• Weather Logs: 50 Years of Daily Data

Sound Credits
Pixabay: freesound_community, Vicki Hamilton, Hasin Amanda

Freesound.org: Gravel Footsteps by Sassaby (CC0)