Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, University of San Francisco-based international relations scholar Stephen Zunes joins us to continue our exploration of recent events involving Israeli airstrikes, the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem, Hamas, Gaza, and U.S. foreign policy. In this conversation we discuss a number of issues with a special focus on U.S. support of Israel on Capitol Hill. Additionally, we dive into the Israeli airstrike that took down an Associated Press building, the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment that was extremely critical of Israel, the potential misuses criticizing AIPAC, antisemitism, claims that the recent violence was the result of a plot by either Iran or Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, the misuse of antisemitism to stifle criticism of action taken by Israel as a state, U.S. foreign policy's long history of supporting oppressive regimes, the generational gap about views on Israel/Palestine in the U.S. states, the issue of racism and settler-colonialism, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the first in what will be a series of programs on the Israel/Palestine conflict in light of recent events. Israeli journalist/blogger Yossi Gurvitz of Mondoweiss joins us on this addition of the program to discuss what has been happening with the conflict since the tensions heated up over the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem, the burning of the al Aqsa Mosque, Hamas firing rockets into Israel, and Israel's launching of airstrikes on Gaza in response. Additionally, Yossi and I discuss the legacy of the radical Orthodox Jewish ultranationalist Rabbi Meier Kahane. Kahane formed the Kach Party in Israel and advocated for expulsing Palestinians from Israel as evidenced by one of his catchphrases "Arabs Get Out!". Although Kahane was assassinated in New York City in 1990 and the Kach Party was banned in Israel in 1994, followers of Kahane and Kahanism live on. Specifically Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power Party) leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, a follower of Kahane, won a seat in the Knesset this past March and was involved in the recent tensions related to the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem. Yossi argues that the right-wing ultranationalism of Kahanism has gone mainstream in Israel. Also discussed: the recent Human Rights Watch and B'Selem report, the experience of sheltering in a bunker during this latest round of violent conflict, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, what are the impacts of unilateral coercive measures like sanctions on countries like Iran, Syria, and Venezuela? Although sanctions have been justified as a way to punish nations for alleged human rights violations, do unilateral sanctions themselves potentially violate human rights? Should sanctions be lifted during a crisis like the one caused by COVID-19? Questions like these have arisen especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Joining us to unpack the issue of unilateral coercive measures, the negative impacts of sanctions, and human rights is UN Special Rapporteur on Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on Human Rights and Professor of International Law Dr. Alena Douhan joins us to unpack the issues around sanctions. In her role as a UN Special Rapporteur Dr. Douhan has visited Qatar and Venezuela and provides her thoughts on the negative impacts of sanctions on the civilian populations of Iran, Syria, and other countries. In this conversation we cover these matters as well as the concept of the right to development, the problem of U.S. emergency declarations as they relate to unilateral coercive measures, overcompliance with sanctions and what it causes for sanctioned nations, and the human rights issues related to the U.S.'s "Rewards for Justice" program.

On this edition of Parallax Views, President Barack Obama's Deputy National Security Advisor famously to Washington D.C.'s bipartisan foreign policy consensus as the "the Blob". For critics and skeptics of the dominant beltway views of U.S. foreign polciy today, this description has proven apt. The D.C. foreign policy "Blob", critics argue, has entangled the U.S. in a quagmire of "Forever Wars" in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan that have been a net negative for the U.S. and the world. Joining us to unpack the concept of the D.C. Blob, or Capitol Hill's bipartisan foreign policy consensus, is Doug Bandow, a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Senior Fellow at the libertarian CATO Institute, regular contributor at Antiwar.Com, and staunch U.S. foreign policy critc. Initially this conversation was sparked by Doug's op-ed on infamous Iran/Contra participant and longtime beltway mainstay Elliot Abram's announcement of a new neoconservative, pro-interventionist/pro-war think tank called the Vandenberg Coalition. However, the conversation proves much broader in tone as we delve into issues related to foreign policy ideology in D.C., the announced U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, American Exceptionalism, Robert Kagan's recent op-ed in Foreign Affairs chastising the American people for their lack of commitment to U.S. military adventurism, the problem of sanctions, elite attitudes in D.C. and the its disconnection from the broader population, Doug's view as a libertarian on U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela, Charles Koch and the Quincy Institute, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, what does President Joe Biden's decision to withdrawal troops from Afghanistan mean in the context of America's history with war and foreign intervention? Joining us to discuss this and the history of U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan is the Watson Institute's Stephen Kinzer, author of Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. This conversation was spurred on by Kinzer's April op-ed in the Boston Globe entitled "In Biden’s pledge to withdraw from Afghanistan, the prospect of turning an imperial tide". We begin by delving into the origins of how Stephen Kinzer developed his thinking on foreign policy, which in contrast to the D.C. consensus, emphasize restraint and skepticism towards the supposed effectiveness and benefits of imperial adventurism and foreign interventions. From there we delve into the origins of U.S. imperial ambitions and the American Exceptionalism that fuel those ambitions. In this regard Kinzer discusses an early intervention into the Philippines as well as detailing how the ethos of America's right to rule informs an understanding of historical that is to the detriment of learning history's lesson. From there we dive into the deep history of America's foreign intervention into Afghanistan following the events of September 11th, 2001. Kinzer notes how Afghanistan has fought foreign invaders many times over the course of centuries, and then takes us back to the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979 and the Soviet-Afghan conflict of the Cold War. We go on to discuss the role of the CIA in the Soviet-Afghan conflict by way of its support of the mujahedeen and how this relates to the genesis of the Taliban. In this regard Kinzer responds to criticism that critics of U.S. foreign policy are "conspiracy theorists" who believe that the U.S. created jihadist militant organizations like al Qaeda. We also take some time to discuss how Operation Ajax, the covert operation that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953, may also arguably create a domino effect of decades-spanning, far-reaching consequences that would eventually. Moreover, Kinzer discusses pushback against criticisms of the U.S. role in the growth of jihadist terrorism vis-à-vis accusations that such criticisms are based on conspiracy theories claiming that the United States directly created al Qaeda. In addition, Stephen Kinzer discusses the role of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's ISI (intelligence services) in this area as well. We conclude the conversation by delving into the importance of Biden's statements concerning withdrawal and that Afghans must decide their future rather than Americans. Additionally, Kinzer discusses how we are moving towards a multipolar world and how a combination of foreign policy restraint and better domestic policies at home will actually benefit not only our national security but the well-being of ourselves and other countries more than continued foreign interventions. Moreover, Kinzer makes notes of how the American people, if not the beltway itself, are now embracing a more restrained vision of America's role in the world that stands in contrasts to D.C. stalwarts like Robert Kagan and Samantha Power

On this edition of Parallax Views, Bill Gates has been the target of many a conspiracy theory in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID vaccine. But does this obscure other criticisms of Bill Gates in regards to the vaccine roll-out during the pandemic? Particularly, has Gates' adherence to intellectual property (IP) had negative impacts on the global vaccine roll-out, specifically in the global south? Journalist Alexander Zaitchik has written an extensive piece on this matter for The New Republic entitled "How Bill Gates Impeded Global Access to Covid Vaccines". Zaitchik joins us to discuss some of the main points of this important piece as well as discussing the broader history of intellectual property, problems with intellectual property, how Bill Gates' thinking on IP and vaccines is a symptom of a problem rather than the problem itself, the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), the vaccine supply crisis globally, the role James Love of Knowledge Ecology International played in Zaitchik's piece, failures of the COVID ACT accelerator, early plans, ideas, and strategies for dealing with COVID-19 vs. how it has been handled since, pharmaceutical companies, public health vs. intellectual property, the libertarian/free trade critique of intellectual property-based patent systems, and much, much more. In reading Zaitchik's reporting one gets the impression that the poorest countries have suffered the most during the roll-out as compared to the richest countries. Is another way possible? Hopefully this conversation can give listeners a few ideas on that and related issues.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the "Havana Syndrome" has been in the news since U.S. diplomats in Cuba described experiencing a strange sickness involving ringing inside the ear among other symptoms. Since the initial reports of the "Havana Syndrome" were reported the idea that it is the result of exotic weaponry, either a sonic weapon or microve-based directed energy weapon, being used by Cuba (potentially with the help of Russia or China, some believe) against U.S. officials. Now reports of the so-called "Havana Syndrome" have spread to the United States, including D.C. Mainstream U.S. news media has picked up on the story and now the United States government is conducting an investigation into these alleged attacks. Medical sociologist Dr. Robert Bartholomew, however, believes that this is all a mistake and that the alleged "Havana Syndrome" can better be explained by a stress-induced psychological illness rather than sonic weapons or microwave weapons. In his book Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mysery and Hysteria, co-authored with neurologist Dr. Robert Baloh, Dr. Batholomew makes the case that the "Havana Syndrome" is actually a case of mass psychogenic illness that has spread via rumor and innuedo. While the victims may experience very real symptoms, he says, the actual syndrome is unlikely to have been caused by sonic or directed energy weapons. Dr. Bartholomew joins us on this edition of the program to discuss his research into mass psychogenic illness, why he beleives the Havana syndrome is better explained by this phenomena, similar cases such as the Mad Gasser of Mattoon, blunders made by jounralists and the media as well as the government in dealing with the "Havana Syndrome" story, conspiracy theories, how the "Havana Syndrome" is taking valuable resources and time away from combating problems like global warming, why he believes Cuba would not attack U.S. diplomats with exotic weaponry, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty in the murder of George Floyd. The death of Floyd led to a wave of protests and renewed interest in Black Lives Matter. Many are the verdict, but will it lead to deep, systemic, structural changes in American policing? Irami Osei-Frimpong aka the Funk Academic makes his third appearance on Parallax Views to discuss why he is skeptical that Chauvin's fate is a signal of deeper changes in American policing. Additionally, Irami and also discuss the issue of diversification of America's police force and why diversification alone may not be sufficient in truly changing the worst aspects of American policing. Moreover, Irami and I take some time to delve deeply into his criticisms of white feminism and why he believes it butts heads with the struggle for black self-determination. And finally, Irami and I chat about why "being basic" won't lead to a happy and meaningful life. And, with regards to meaning, Irami offers some advice that may prove more interesting to listeners than that of self-help gurus like Dr. Jordan Peterson.

On this edition of Parallax Views, when I started this program I never considered doing an episode on the JFK assassination. That's because it's just a too much of a quagmire for me. I don't know enough about the assassination to really get into all the debates about Lee Harvey Oswald, Jim Garrison, whether there was a conspiracy or not, etc. But, I recently had Fred Litwin, a critic of those whom believe the assassination was the result of a conspiracy, contact me in the hopes of appearing on my program to discuss his book On the Trail of Delusion: Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser. I decided to oblige. I originally had wanted to do a debate, but that fell through. So instead I offer two interviews with very different perspectives on the assassination. James DiEugenio, author of Destiny Betrayed: JFK, CUBA, and the Garrison Case, offers the view that the assassination was the result of a broader plot and that the Warren Commision Report wasn't the final say on the case. Additionally, Jim makes the case for Jim Garrison and JFK's foreign policy with regards to Vietnam moving in a direction that was towards withdrawal.

On this edition of Parallax Views, when I started this program I never considered doing an episode on the JFK assassination. That's because it's just a too much of a quagmire for me. I don't know enough about the assassination to really get into all the debates about Lee Harvey Oswald, Jim Garrison, whether there was a conspiracy or not, etc. But, I recently had Fred Litwin, a critic of those whom believe the assassination was the result of a conspiracy, contact me in the hopes of appearing on my program to discuss his book On the Trail of Delusion: Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser. I decided to oblige. I originally had wanted to do a debate, but that fell through. So instead I offer two interviews with very different perspective on the assassination. Fred Litwin offers the views that the assassination was not a conspiracy theory and specifically that New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison was a paranoid populist who targeted an innocent man in his pursuit of Clay Shaw.

On this edition of Parallax Views, there's always a number of interesting cases happening at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. For example, right now cases involving billionaire Chinese exile and Steve Bannon associate Guo Wengui, attorney Michael Avenatti (who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels against President Donald Trump), and, of course, Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Joining us for what was a rather impromptu conversation is Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press. Matthew has covered the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve, but has recently been focusing his attention on SDNY court cases. In this brief but informative interview Matthew gives us details on the SDNY cases pertaining to Guo Wengui, Michael Avenatti, and Ghislaine Maxwell.

On this edition of Parallax Views, imprisoned whistleblower Reality Leigh Winner will be released on November 23rd, 2021. As longtime listeners of the show will know, I've covered Reality's case extensively with both journalist Kevin Gosztola of Shadowproof and Reality's mother Billie Winner-Davis. Reality leaked classified documents to The Intercept from the NSA pertaining to questions of Russian interference in the 2016 election that pitted Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump. Regardless of your opinions on that specific issues there is much to be said about the importance of Reality's case in terms of conscientious whistleblowers and their treatment by the federal government. Joining us on this edition of the program to revisit the case is Brittany Winner, Reality Winner's big sister. In addition to providing a sister's perspective on Reality (including some interesting stories about Seaworld and Pokemon!) that gives a human face to Reality, we also discuss the new documentary by comedian Samantha Bee of Full Frontal (and formerly The Daily Show) which was just published last week. We'll also discuss the effort to grant Reality clemency, the letter campaign to President Joe Biden, Reality's experience with COVID while in prison, and more. Please consider supporting Reality Winner at Stand With Reality.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. is a retired diplomat with a long and storied career. For example, he served as the main interpreter for Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China that proved monumental for Sino-U.S. relations. With tensions building between the U.S. and China today I turned to Amb. Freeman for his expertise and perspective. He joins me on this edition of the program to discuss the state of U.S.-China relations, the lessons of diplomacy, history that must be taken into account when addressing U.S.-China relations, and much, much more. In the course of this conversation we cover: - Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 and Amb. Freeman's response to accusations that it amounted to appeasement and that Nixon was "The Great Appeaser" - Assessing U.S. China relations in the 21st century under the Presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump - Assessing Biden's first 100 days in relation to U.S. foreign policy towards China. Will Biden be a continuation of Trump era U.S.-China relations? - What factors are likely to influence the Biden administration's foreign policy approach to China? - The U.S.-China summit in Anchorage, Alaska - The fear that China is seeking to become the new global hegemon and the possible psychological factors driving the U.S. reaction to China's growth - What are China's interests now and going forward; what does China want? - Empathy and the purpose of diplomacy - The deep history of the Taiwan conflict - The Uyghur in China and the treatment of them by China - The Tiananmen Square incident - How the Cold War haunts U.S.-China relations - The possibility of cooperation between the U.S. and China in dealing with climate change - Mistakes made by both China and the U.S. in international relations - What have we forgotten about diplomacy and the lessons of diplomacy?

For longtime listeners of Parallax Views Barrett Brown needs no introduction. He's been a reoccurring guest on the program and is something of a legend for his rabble-rousing involvement in Anonymous. Now based in the U.K., after years of struggles in the U.S. including bouts with the FBI, Brown recently restarted Project PM, which dealt with investigating the cyber-military industrial complex (Palantir, HBGary, etc.), as well as starting Project Swartz (named after the late Aaron Swartz) and Project Hastings (named after the late Rolling Stone journalist Michael Hastings; who Barrett interacted/worked with). Brown believes that software technology can be used to assist dissident fighting powerful nation-states on the battlefield of global information warfare. He explains how Pursuance, his main project, is seeking to make this all a reality and discusses some of the problems activists face from federal law enforcement (the aim of Project Hastings is to assist activists and whistleblowers), how media incompetence and malfeasance needs to be called out (the aim of Project Hastings), and the possibilities for activits going forward in terms of information warfare networks that can be used to assist in the fight against corrupt nation-state and for democracy.

On this edition of Parallax Views, news has been breaking of the the Department of Defense (DoD) overseeing the clandestine burning of 20 million pounds of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) in low-income areas. The scandal of this is that this tactic for getting rid of AFFF does not appear to be an efficient strategy of disposal backed by science. And moreover, the burning of AFFF, according to a Bennington College study, is releasing a "witches brew of toxic emissions". Despite Enivornmental Protection Agency (EPA) warnings of the problems of trying to burn AFFF, the U.S. military burned massive amounts of this toxic firefighting foam for the past four years releasing forever chemicals (see: Perfluorooctanoic acid aka PFAS) that have been negatively impacting low-income areas and are now likely going to be threatening an even broader population in the future. Bennington College's David Bond, Associate Director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action, joins us to discuss this scandal in-depth and the deleterious effects it is having on low-income areas. Additionally, David stresses how the problem of forever chemicals is now reaching beyond low-income areas and will effect all of us in the future.

On this edition of Parallax Views, international laws scholar and activist Richard Falk joins us once again, this time to discuss his new political memoir Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim. Richard has dedicated a lifetime to fighting for peace, justice, and global cooperation as well as challenging the status quo, often from within the very elite institutions that many times uphold that status quo. This has led him to such places as Hanoi during the Vietnam War and South Africa during apartheid. All in the service of being what Richard calls a "Patriot of Humanity". Or a "Citizen Pilgrim". In this conversation we discuss: - Richard's apolitical youth and early adulthood and how he was raised by a conservative anti-communist father. - The unusual conservatism of academia - The experience of being an academic during the Cold War and specifically the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare - How Richard's views of international relations and international law differs greatly from those of Henry Kissinger, John Mearsheimer, and the RAND Corporation - Taking a dialogic approach to international relations - Experiences in Vietnam and South Africa - The influence of religion and philosophy on Richard's intellectual development - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, veteran journalist Barnes Carr joins us to discuss an underdiscussed aspect of WWI history: the U.S.-backed plot to assassinate Vladimir Lenin and install a Western-friendly dictator in Russia. In his new book, The Lenin Plot: The untold Story of America's Midnight War Against Russia, Carr lays out the details of the madcap true-life story of spycraft that's one part film noir and another part "Keystone Cops" thanks to it's cast of exceedingly eccentric characters. Some of the character's in this strange saga, particularly the mysterious Sidney Reilly and Bruce Lockhart, are believed to have served as an inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond. It's a story that contains not only double agents and spies (from the U.S., Britain, France, and Russia!) but even a femme fatale. Barnes Carrs discusses all these elements with as well as the Bolshevik Revolution, the extent of U.S. involvement in the plot, how he stumbled upon the story, the research he undetook with it, and much, much more! We even manage to talk briefly about Carr's exploits as a jounralist including his research into the MLK assassination and the KKK's attempt to murder him!

On this edition of Parallax Views, it was announced earlier this week that the May deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan has been changed. President Joe Biden has announced that the troops will be withdrawn by September 11th, 2021, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Maj. Danny Sjursen, the "Skeptical Vet" of the Fortress on a Hill podcast and the Eisenhower Media Network and author of Patriotic Dissent, served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Since that time he has become a voice against imperialism that supports antiwar sentiments. He joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to discuss the war in Afghanistan and Joe Biden's announcement regarding the new withdrawal date.

On this edition of Parallax Views, for nearly 50 years Troma has been the independent movie studio with an uncompromising vision that has alternately grossed out, offended, and entertained audiences from around the world with such features as The Toxcic Avenger franchise, the Class of Nuke Em High series, Troma's War, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, Tromeo and Juliet (penned by James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame), and, most recently, #ShakespeareShitstorm among others! They've also distributed such madcap films as Surf Nazis Must Die, Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town (starring before-he-was-famous Billy Bob Thornton), and Monster in the Closet (starring a before-he-was-famous Paul Walker) as well as such challenging and controversial cinema as Story of a Junkie, Combat Shock, and the experimental films of Giuseppe Andrews (Detroit Rock City, Cabin Fever). Joining us to discuss the little movie studio that could is Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma alongside Michael Herz. Be forewarned, Lloyd is irreverent, non-pc, and speaks his mind. As I say in the show intro "You will be triggered". In the course of our conversation Lloyd and I discuss a number of topics including what a Troma film is (for the unfamiliar), how Lloyd went from attending Yale in the hopes of becoming a social worker to catching the film bug, whether or not people confuse Troma for being a right-wing "shock jock" enterprise like Breitbart or the antic of Steve Bannon, Hollywood's silence on the New Jim Crow laws of Georgia, Lloyd's appearance on the Morton Downey Jr. Show, the influence of French cinema and Auteur Theory on Lloyd and Troma's work, Troma films as being steeped in satire and often based on events and social issues of the day, the influence of Andy Warhol on Lloyd and the Troma's movie Sugar Cookies (starring cult actress and Warhol factory girl Mary Woronov), working on the big budget Hollywood movie The Final Countdown w/ Kirk Douglas, working on John G. Avildsen's Rocky and Saturday Night Fever, C. Wright Mills' Power Elite theory and Lloyd's theory of the elite, the problem of Hollywood, the influence of Stan Lee and Marvel on Troma, Lloyd's socialist relatives and their influence on him growing up (we talk about Cuba, Fidel Castro, etc.!), Lloyd's love of the underdog, LGBTQ+ fans of Troma, Lloyd's appearance in The Last Blockbuster, a story about Lloyd's problem with Hollywood involving the great actor and writer Trent Haaga, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, one of the world's foremost philosophers, Slavoj Zizek, joins us to discuss the global crises civilization faces today, from the COVID pandemic and global warming to digital suveillance and mass mental health struggles in an era of jungle capitalism, and how we must face these crises while holding onto hope and letting go of fear and the depression these crises may inspire in us. Among the topics we broach our the COVID-19 pandemic, digital surveillance, the corporate "Great Reset" advanced by Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum, catastrophic climate change, Frederic Jamison's advice to Slavoj on pessimism vs. depression, the potential of the Left and what its strategy must be facing the future and dangerous times ahead, the conflict between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and elements of the socialist left, Biden's COVID relief package, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the mighty Ken Silverstein of Washington Babylon, the website covering "Shocking True Stories and Political Sleaze", joins us to discuss a potpourri of topics. We begin by talking about the return of Washington Babylon after a period of dormancy and the death of the Royal Family's Prince Phillip, for whom Andrew Stewart wrote an "anti-obituary" on Washington Babylon. From there we discuss the Iraq War, the 18th anniversary of which occurred this past March, and Ken's reflections on how the media reacted to the war. In particular Ken discusses working for the LA Times during the early days of the war and recalls the reaction to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit by the media of the day during that time. As a side-note to this portion of the conversation we discuss the story of Gary Webb and how he was treated by the media after his Dark Alliance series delving into the crack epidemic and Iran/Contra. From there we delve into the recent sex scandal involving Matt Gaets, Venmo, and a 17 year old girl. Ken recently raised questions about Gaetz's dark money ties and how it may relate to this latest scandal. And finally we discuss the issue of evictions and the possibility of a coming economic crisis like the one we saw with the Lehmann Brothers. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the always interesting and oft controversial Daniel Hopsicker joins us for an update on his investigations into the seedy underbelly of Sarasota County in Florida and how it relates, in his estimation, to right-wing grifters and transnational organized crime. Agree or disagree with his conclusions on transnational organized crime, the Russian mob (particularly the "Boss of Bosses" Semion Moglivech), and government malfeasance, Hopsicker has ferreted out infamous figures like Huffman Aviation's Rudi Dekkers and Steve Bannon partner Andrew Badolato before they allegations against them hit the mainstream. Although Parallax Views can't vouch for and doesn't necessarily agree with all of Hopsicker's conclusions, the fact that Hopsicker was on the trail Andrew Badolato before the alleged fraud of "Build the Wall" have proven of interest to the program. The bottom line for Hopsicker is that as long as the War on Drugs goes on so will transnational organized crime. Get ready for a whirlwind ride as Hopsicker and I delve into money laundering and financial crimes by "hyena packs", drug trafficking, cover-ups, international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, the curious case of Andrew Badolato's Sarasota beach house, Russiagate, Donald Trump, and a slew of other matters and characters.

On this edition of Parallax Views, multiple global crises currently appear to be at play in the opening decades of the 21st century. Fake news and disinformation. Terrorism and radicalization. Unregulated capitalism and the dark money-fueled corruption of politics. The COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of future pandemics. And, of course, the looming threat of potentially catastrophic forms of climate change. Dr. Nafeez Ahmed, Special Investigations Reporter for Byline Times, author of A User's Guide to the Crisis of Civilization, and co-producer/writer of the documentary The Crisis of Civilization, joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to unpack these various crises and how we may be better able to approach them through the lens of systems theory. We also discuss global disinformation networks, COVID-19, peak oil theory, Koch money, identity politics, woke vs. anti-woke culture wars, post-capitalism, 9/11 and the War on Terror, Syria and the material basis of revolutions, far-right radicalization, ISIS, and much, much, more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Emil Draitser joins us to give a personal account of not only growing up Jewish in the Soviet Union but also working as a satirist in the Soviet Union. Emil has written about his Soviet adventures in books such as Shush! Growing Up Jewish Under Stalin: A Memoir, Farewell, Mama Odessa: A Novel, and, most recently, In the Jaws of the Crocodile: A Soviet Memoir. Emil discusses at length his experiences facing antisemitism in the Soviet Union, explain the history of antisemitism in Russia from the Protocols of Zion to the Doctor's Plot of the Stalin era, and the discrimination he faced from antisemitism. Additionally, Emil and I will delve into what it meant to write satire in the Soviet Union and his experiences working for the Soviet satirical magazine Krokodil. And Emil will describe what it was like growing up in Odessa specifically. One thing that is striking about Emil's experiences is how relatable they may feel despite cultural differences between the Soviet Union and countries like the United States.

On this edition of Parallax Views, a little bit of a change of pace. Mike IX Williams of the pioneering NOLA metal and sludge metal band Eyehategod (also: Corrections House and Arson Anthem) joins us for a chat about music, growing up punk, poetry, transgressive art, race relations, Black Lives Matter, empathy, his industrial-styled band Corrections House, live sets vs. studio recordings, the influence of bands like Black Flag and Swans on his music, Christian protests against Eyehategod, Charles Bukowski, and much, much more! Check out Eyehategod's new album A History of Nomadic Behavior!

On this edition of Parallax Views, the long-time, sometimes controversial, and always fascinating geopolitical commentator Pepe Escobar joins Parallax Views to discuss some of the events the lead up to his the current decade we face, which he calls "The Raging Twenties". Although this conversation was initially intended to cover Pepe's new book Raging Twenties: Great Power Politics Meets Techno-Feudalism, Pepe and I ultimately went in a different direction. Our conversation became less focused on the details of the book and more an overview of the events, geopolitically, that lead to our current moment where tensions are rising between the U.S. and it allies against China, Russia, and Iran. As Pepe put it in the course of our conversation, our conversation serves as a preamble to many of the topics discussed in his new book (which is basically Pepe's coverage of the year 2020 from the death of General Soleimani to the COVID-19 pandemic). Among the many topics we discuss: - The Russia/Ukraine situation - The Nordstream II pipeline, Germany, and Russia, - The Iraq War and neoconservatives - Pepe's interest in the ideas of Felix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze; Deleuze's concept of the rhizome - Zbigniew Brzezinski and The Grand Chessboard of Geopolitics - The Quad, India and Modi - Euranianism, Putin, and China - COVID-19, Giorgio Agamben, and the surveillance society - The decline of the American Empire; Pax Americana and the Mongolian Empire - Why Pepe references and uses imagery from David Lynch's Twin Peaks in his work - The Belt and Road Initiative; the New Silk Road - The multipolar world and what it means; the failures of the War on Terror; the corrosion of the Empire

On this edition of Parallax Views, what is happening in Russia? Who is Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny? What are the protests in Russia against Putin about? Should discussion of the protests be centered on Navalny or do these protests transcend even him? Joining us to explore these questions are Ilya Mateev and Ilya Budtraitskis, who penned the February 2021 article "Putin's Majorty" for the New Left Review. Mateev and Budraitskis joins us directly from Russia to offer a perspective outisde of the one's found in both the American mainstream press and the American Left. Mateev and Budtraitskis discuss state repression in Russia, skepticism of Navalny and his neoliberal programs, the Russian Left critique of Putin, the two major opposing views amongst the Russian Left of the protests, the role of youths in the protests, Vladimir Putin and Capitalism, street politics in Russia, inequality and elite privilege in Russia, the role of the internet in political engagement and exploration of ideology in Russia, the Kremlin, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Amazon has come under scrutiny lately for its working conditions and also due to effort of Amazon workers to unionize in Bessemer, Alabama where 1 in 4 residents live in poverty. Jacobin staff writer Alex Press is a journalist who has been on the labor movement beat for some time, and joins us on this edition of the program to discuss her reporting on struggles between Amazon and its workers. Among the topics we cover in this conversation: - How Alex became involved in covering the labor movement as her beat - Amazon worker Jennifer Bates testimony about Amazon warehouse working conditions given at the Senate Budget Committee presided by Bernie Sanders - The grotesque story of Amazon workers having to urinate in bottles and Amazon PR's denialist response to it - Misconceptions and stereotypes about union organizing; the stereotypes of unions as being all about Jimmy Hoffa characters or something out of the popular TV show The Sopranos; black union organizing - Sara Nelson, the Flight Attentdant labor leader whom Alex recently interviewed - The vote for a workers union at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama -

On this edition of Parallax Views, historian Dr. Richard Drake of the University of Montana returns to the program to discuss the new 2nd edition of his book The Revolutionary Mystique and Terrorism in Contemporary Italy. In this conversation we discuss the terrorism, from both the radical left and the radical right, that rocked Italy in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s in what has become known as the Years of Lead. Among the topics of discussion are the hyper-fascist Traditionalist philosopher Julius Evola, the Red Brigades, the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, the deeper reasons for the Years of Lead, what the relevance of the Italian Years of Lead may be to Americans in light of the January 6th Capitol riots, the questions arising about murky subjects like Operation Gladio and Licio Gelli's P2 Masonic lodge, the failures of the Italian government in dealing with terrorism during the Years of Lead, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, returning guest Brian McGlinchey, formerly of 28Pages.Org, joins us to discuss his new project Stark Realities on Substack. We begin by delving into Brian's initial work shedding light on the formerly classified 28 pages of Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 that related to Saudi Arabia, Saudi officials, and 9/11. From there we dive into why Brian McGlinchey started Substack and his problems with the new algorithmic regime of Silicon Valley and it's effect on independent journalism. Then we discuss his recent piece on the brutal consequences of sanction policies, especially as they pertain to Iran.

On this edition of Parallax Views, fake news and the rise of conspiracy theories like QAnon have become political hot-takes since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump and events like the January 6th, 2021 "Stop the Steal" riots on Capitol Hill. But disinformation and conspiracy theories that stretch far beyond the limits of credulity didn't begin in the 21st century. Case in point with the strange case of UFO hobbyist Paul Bennewitz. and what has become know to UFO enthusiasts as "The Bennewitz Affair". It's a story that doesn't necessarily point towards beings from another world, but rather the mix of deliberate disinformation on one hand and flat-out kookery on the other hand that may play a role in phenomena of Pizzagate and QAnon. Adam Gorightly, author Saucers, Spooks, and Kooks: UFO Disinformation in the Age of Aquarius, and David Perkins, who wrote the forward to said book, join us on this edition of the program join us to unravel how disinformation campaign involving a special agent of United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and others participated in a disinformation campaign against Bennewitz after the enthusiastic UFO hobbyist began attracting unwanted attention to Kirtland Air Force Base. The saga of Paul Bennewitz, as you'll learn in this conversation, ended in tragedy. More precisely, Bennewitz was driven off a psychological cliff into madness that culminated in instiutionalization. But the story doesn't end there. As it turns out the fanciful stories fed to Bennewitz about malevolent extraterrestrial, government deals with an alien presence and it's cover-up, an underground base at Dulce, New Mexico, and more formed the foundation of modern UFO mythology, from cattle mutilations to Area 51, in its most conspiratorially-minded form (which, incidentally, often overlap a great deal with far-right wing "Patriot" and militia movements). Regardless of whether one believes in UFOs or not, what makes the Bennewitz Affair and the late 20th UFO Conspiracy subculture potentially interesting today is what it may be able to tell us about disinformation and the current crop of conspiracy theories like QAnon in the 21st century. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Kairin Van Sweeden, a member of the Scottish National Party, joins us to discuss the Scottish Independence Movement and the arguments for it. Scottish elections will take place on May 1, 2021. What will it mean if more members of the SNP are elected? Find out on this edition of Parallax Views. In the course of our conversation we'll also be discussing the relationship between Scotland and England, the power of Westminster, neoliberalism, Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), Brexit, the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and her declaration that "There Is No Society, Only Individuals", what Scottish Independence would mean for infrastructure development and use of its resources, Irish re-unification, support for Scottish independence by demographic, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, U.S.-Iran relations have been fraught with tensions over the course of many years. he JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), or Iran nuclear deal, initiated during the Obama, however, seemed to mark a turning point towards potentially better diplomatic relations between the two countries. That all changed when Donald J. Trump took the White House in 2016 and effectively withdrew the U.S. from the deal. With the transition to a new administration with President Joe Biden many who supported the JPCOA had high hopes for the U.S. reentering the deal and U.S.-Iran relations improving. These hopes were buttressed by the fact that Biden, when he was on the campaign trail, was very critical of Donald Trump's handling of U.S.-Iran relations. However, those hopes have been diminishing in the time since Biden has transitioned from Candidate to Commander-in-Chief and continued some of the Trump era "maximum pressure" policies on Iran. Joining us to discuss U.S-Iran relations and the potential for a more diplomatic approach to them is Dr. Assal Rad of the National Iranian American Council. Dr. Rad recently co-authored, alongside Negar Mortazavi, a piece for Foreign Policy entitled "President Biden Must Follow the Advice of Candidate Biden on Iran". In addition to discussing some of the point made in said article, Dr. Rad offers an overview of U.S.-Iran relations in the 20th and 21st century including the Iran hostage crisis, the U.S.-backed coup of Iran's democratically elected President Mossadegh in 1953, U.S.-Iran relations during the Bush-era War on Terror, the Obama years and the JCPOA, and much, much more. We also discuss the nature of diplomacy, why it is important to apply pressure to U.S. elected officials on the matter of fostering more diplomatic relations with Iran, the effect of U.S. sanctions on Iran, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's recent praise of Biden's approach to Iran so far, the potential of war, and much, much more in this wide-ranging conversation.

On this edition of Parallax Views, recently the influential neoconservative thinker Robert Kagan penned an op-ed entitled "A Superpower, Like It Or Not: Why America Must Accept Their Global Role" for the Council on Foreign Relation's Foreign Affairs publication. In it Kagan not only expresses his view that the U.S. must continue it's interventions and wars abroad, but also large portions of the American populace not accepting their country's "Global Role". Robbie Martin of Media Roots Radio, whose documentary A Very Heavy Agenda dealt in large part with Kagan and the neoconservative agenda, joins us to critique Kagan's latest op-ed.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the ouster of Indonesia's first President Sukarno in and Indonesia's transition to his successor Suharto's "New Order", a regime that murdered millions in the name of anti-communism, in the 1960s remains mired in mystery and controversy. The events that transpired on October 1st, 1965, which involved the assassination of six Indonesian Army generals by the 30 September Movement, have proven murky and enigmatic. The Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66 that followed were a horror show. Who were all the players involved in and beneficiaries what ultimately became a coup against President Sukarno that allowed Suharto to take control of Jakarta and exercise a reign of terror against millions of Indonesian? What exactly transpired in the early hours of October 1st, 1965? What to make of potential U.S., specifically CIA, support of Sukarno's ouster? Questions like these have fascinated previous guests that have appeared on Parallax Views. Specifically, Prof. Peter Dale Scott, author of the long-form poem Coming to Jakarta, and journalist Vincent Bevins, author of The Jakarta Method, have both appeared on the program to discuss this haunting story. Now, Greg Poulgrain, Brisbane, Australia-based lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast, joins us to discuss this chilling case. Poulgrain has written a number of books related to this period in Indonesian history and U.S. foreign policy's relation to it including The Genesis of Konfrontasi: Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, 1945-1965 and The Incubus of Intervention: Conflicting Indonesia Strategies of John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles. Poulgrain has continued his exploration of this period with his latest book JFK vs. Allen Dulles: Battleground Indonesia. He joins us on this edition of the program to discuss this latest work and to illuminate the shadows that lurk within the story of Sukarno's ouster and Indonesia's transition to Suharto's "New Order". It's a story that involves CIA spymaster Allen Dulles and President John F. Kennedy, the Rockefeller dynasty's Standard Oil Company, the international intrigue of geopolitics, the Cold War and the Sino-Soviet split, Freeport mining and a discovery of gold that remained a secret to many for years, and much, much more.

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, we explore the history of racial justice struggles at Duke University. Much has been made of Duke alums Richard Spencer, a founding purveyor of the alt right, and Stephen Miller, a former advisor for President Donald Trump, but Duke's relationship with race and racism is a longstanding one. In fact, Duke was the cite of protests in the Civil Rights era culminating in the takeover of the Allan Building by black students of Duke's Afro American Society. Theodore Segal, lawyer and member of the board of directors for the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, joins us to discuss the stories history of racial integration, racism and segregation, and the fight for racial justice at this well-known Southern university out of North Carolina. Ted's new book on the subject is Point of Reckoning: The Fight for Racial Justice at Duke University. Among the topics discussed are the experiences of the first black students at Duke University, the Afro American Society, the "Silent Vigil" after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1969 takeover of the Allen Building along with much, much more!

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, the Nation of Islam has often been analyzed as a political movement with the trappings of a religion. Dr. Stephen C. Finley, however, has been taking a decidedly different approach to understanding the NoI. Namely, he's sought to analyze the Nation of Islam as a religion with ties to New Age thought, UFO beliefs, Freemasonry, and other elements of the Western Esoteric Tradition. Needless to say, this approach departs from both the conventional histories of the Nation of Islam as well as the Western Esoteric Tradition. Dr. Finley joins us on this edition of the program to discuss his fascinating research into the Nation of Islam. Among the topics discussed: - The mysterious Master Fard Muhammad aka Wallace Fard Muhammad - Elijah Muhammad's formative experiences with racism and how it may relate to the theology of the Nation of Islam - Louis Farrakhan, the reconstituted Nation of Islam, and UFO beliefs - Theological narratives as a metaphor for the lived experience of everyday life (in this case of black bodies) - Discussion of esotericism in the black religious experience outside of the Nation of Islam; specifically rootwork, hoodoo, and conjure - And much, much more. NOTE: The views expressed by the guest in this interview do not necessarily reflect the views of the Nation of Islam. Nor they necessarily represent the views of the host at all times.

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, Edward Girardet, one of the leading journalists on issues related to Afghanistan and humanitarian crises, joins us to discuss his article at Global-Geneva and WhoWhatWhy.Org entitled "Afghanistan: The Abandonment of a Nation". We discuss a number of issues related to the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan slated for May 1, 2021. Additionally we discuss a number of Edward's experiences in Afghanistan and how a possibility for peace in Afghanistan remains within reach. (Further notes forthcoming)

On this edition of Parallax Views, few people have lived the kind of life that John Barbour has managed in his 87 years and still going strong life. He became a successful stand-up comic under the guidance of the legendary Redd Foxx in the Civil Rights-era of the 1960s; revolutionized the talk show with a program that featured non-canned, free-flowing conversations about controversial topics like the Vietnam War, American protesters, and labor rights with guests like Jane Fonda, Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, and Cesar Chavez that not only treated the audience as intelligent enough to listen in on the discussions but also opened up the phone lines to allow them to ask the questions; invented reality TV with the show "Real People" under the philosophy of telling the interesting stories of people from all walks of life without judgment; and served as a private writer for Frank Sinatra. And he did it all as a self-described "Canadian Dropout" as detailed in 700+ page memoir Your Mother's Not A Virgin: The Bumpy Life and Times of the Canadian Dropout Who Changed the Face of American TV! Simply put, John Barbour has led an extraordinary life. And, I think most importantly, he gave a voice to many people, especially through Real People and his talk show, who otherwise would not have been heard. John's career is one of being uncompromising and seeking to promote understanding and truth. That is an accomplishment in itself. John returns to Parallax Views to tell some great stories from his fascinating life including: - Filming a scene with Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, for the 70s TV movie Pray for the Wildcats. - Being taken to court by a movie producer over his negative review of the Charlton Heston-starring dystopian sci-fi flick Soylent Green in case that went all the way to the Supreme Court! - The hustle of Hollywood, the late night talk show host Jack Paar, and John's experience with Johnny Carson after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy - How his talk show AM Los Angeles came about because of latino protests; being the first show in the Los Angeles talk show world to take phone calls - John's thoughts on the Fairness Doctrine; butting heads with TV station managers; some talk about the FCC - John's experience interviewing Ronald Reagan, during his days as a California governor before becoming U.S. President, and his impression of Reagan as an empty suit; the tough question John asked Reagan and how John got away with interviewing Reagan despite refusing Reagan's demand of being given pre-planned questions - Interviewing labor leader Cesar Chavez and how Chavez helped John get back at his station manager - The story of when John interviewed Jane Fonda at the height of her antiwar activism during the Vietnam conflict; how John and Jane became friends after a very interesting pre-show conversation where John, who was sympathetic to her antiwar views, tried to demonstrate that perhaps the actress should try a different approach to convincing the American public to question the Vietnam War

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition, TJ Coles, prolific author and founder of The Plymouth Institute for Peace Research, joins us to discuss geopolitics and what critics of American foreign policy describes as the U.S.'s pursuit "Full Spectrum Dominance". We discuss a number of topics related to this including: - Beginning the conversation we discuss TJ's latest book Capitalism & Coronavirus: How Institutionalized Greed Turned a Crisis into a Catastrophe; an IMF (International Monetary Fund) report on the pandemic that TJ considers important - The concept of "Full Spectrum Dominance" - The weaponization of space; U.S. Space Command, U.S. technology and the military; the U.N. Outer Space Treaty - The United Nations as a "complicated organization" - The horrific effects of U.S. foreign policy decisions involving blockades and sanctions - Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex - The origins of the U.S. National Security State - The question of declining U.S. power - U.S.-Russia relations; Trump's softer rhetoric on Russia vs. the reality - Binary thinking in the defense of U.S. foreign policy that are used to attack critiques of U.S. foreign policy - The U.S., China, the New Cold War - The renewed nuclear threat/nuclear war - The early days of the Biden Presidency - Full Spectrum Dominance under Clinton; the Bush era neocons and the Project for a New American Century - Differences between the Republican and Democratic Establishments in regards to U.S. foreign policy approaches; the weaponization of U.S. aid through caveats - Syria, Assad, the U.S., and the A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm report - The murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia - Afghanistan; the Graveyard of Empires; Zbigniew Brzezinski, the Soviet-Afghan conflict, and the mujahedeen; the geostrategic significance of Afghanistan to U.S. foreign policy - Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the work of Kathy Kelly -

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, documentary filmmakers joins us to discuss his latest series, the Showtime original The Reagans, as well as his friendship with the late iconoclast and rabble-rouser Gore Vidal. Vidal was fond of saying that the U.S. should be called "The United States of Amnesia" because of the way American culture memory holes inconvenient aspects of its history. We delve into the influence of this concept and Vidal's thought on Tynauer, who served as Vidal's literary executor, and how the concept of "The United States of Amnesia" relates to The Reagans. In this regard we discuss Vidal's insightful essay "Ronnie and Nancy: A Life in Picture" that offered an early astute commentary and analysis of Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. From there we move on the to the subject of his latest documentary effort: Ronald and Nancy Reagan. In this regard we delve into a multitude of areas including: - The Reagan image, the attention economy, the decline in literacy, and influencer culture - The parallels between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump - Ronald Reagan, the John Birch Society, and the Human Event newspaper - Reagan vs. the Air Traffic Controllers Union - Grover Norquist and the Cult of Reagan - The forces behind Ronald Reagan's political rise - Nancy Reagan's role in the White House and Ronald Reagan's success - Reagan in Hollywood and his ties to Lew Wasserman and the MCA - Reagan's journey from New Deal Democrat to the face of the GOP - The line from the Barry Goldwater campaign to Reagan's Presidency and onward - The role of the media in Reagan's political success; oppositional journalism in the era of Reagan as represented by Robert Scheer and Helen Thomas - Reagan and Positive Thinking - Dog-whistles and the Southern Strategy - And much, much more!

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, what should we know about the newly elected President of the United States, Joe Biden? How has he operated in the past as a politician? What special interests may seek to influence his administration? What is his relationship to organized labor? What should progressives expect from him? Branko Marcetic, a staff writer for Jacobin magazine and author of Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden, joins us for the hour to tackle these questions and many others. We discuss: - the Biden administration and the Wall Street investment firm Blackrock - Biden, the military-industrial complex, and the foreign policy think tank the Center for a New American Security - the "America is back" and "return to normal" rhetoric of Bidenism - can Biden be pressured by the Left (or, for that matter, the Right)? - Biden and neoliberalism - Biden and the AFL-CIO - Answering the question of whether Biden should be criticized from the Left or if that would only empower Trumpism - Biden's Presidency so far and his early Executive Orders - Biden and the Amazon Union vote - Biden and the suburban middle class; Reagan Democrats - And much, much more!

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, how how have AUMFs (Authorization for the Use of Military Force) been used and misused with regards to America's "Forever Wars"? Matthew Petti of the Quincy Institute joins us to discuss his latest article in Responsible Statecraft entitled "The inside story of how the Pentagon blocked efforts to end the Iraq War". In said article Petti explains how AUMFs have been used to block ending the Iraq War. Additionally, Petti notes how the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs have been utilized by both the Presidential administrations of Barack H. Obama and Donald J. Trump. Is there a possibility that there will be a change in how AUMFs are utilized under President Joe Biden? We discuss all this and much more on this edition of Parallax Views.

On this edition of Parallax Views, for a period in the 1970s a conspiracy-drenched genre known alternately as the paranoid thriller or paranoid political came into vogue. The aftermath of the political assassinations of the 1960s, which saw the violent deaths of public figures like Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., black radical Malcolm X, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and President John F. Kennedy, combined with the tumult of the Vietnam War, the Presidency of Richard Nixon, the saga of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, and the scandal of the Watergate break-in created the perfect storm for critical, bleak reassessments of the American political system that stood in stark contrast to the seeming innocence of the "Camelot years" that preceded it. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Old Hollywood studio system led to a period (often referred to as New Hollywood) of daring and creative flourishing in American cinema that produced such modern classics as Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, and Midnight Cowboy among others. It was from this fertile ground that the conspiracy-drenched 1970s paranoid thriller rose to prominence. Among the classics of this particular genre are such features as Three Days of the Condor, The Boys from Brazil, The Conversation, Soylent Green, Serpico, Capricorn One, and the film that's been referred to as "The Godfather of paranoid political thrillers", The Parallax View. Following in the footsteps of 1973's Executive Action, The Parallax View dealt with questions of conspiracy as they related to political assassinations. But whereas the Burt Lancaster starring Executive Action offered a conspiratorial explanation for the JFK assassination, The Parallax View took a different approach. Although the film featured veiled references to real life matters like the Warren Commission, the death of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, the PERMINDEX trade organization believed by New Orleans DA Jim Garrison to have played a pivotal role in the JFK assassination, and the "girl in the polka dot dress" of the RFK assassination, its characters and events are ultimately constructions of its makers imaginations. In other words, The Parallax View is a fictional exploration of political assassinations and the conspiracy theories that arise from them. The Parallax View stars Warren Beatty as dogged reporter Joseph Frady, who, after the fatal shooting of a presidential candidate, stumbles upon a vast conspiracy involving a shadowy organization known as the Parallax Corporation. As Frady falls deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole in his search for the truth he finds that the Parallax Corporation seemingly specializes in the recruitment of assassins for highly-valued hits on political leaders. Will Frady be able to bust the story wide open by staying one-step ahead of the Parallax Corporation? Or is the Parallax Corporation already one step ahead of him? Based on the novel of the same name by Lorenzo Singer, The Parallax View was adapted for the silver screen by David Giler and Three Days of the Condor's Lorenzo Semple, Jr. with a rewrite by Robert Towne amidst a looming Writer's Guild of America strike. The film marks the second entry in director Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy" that started with Klute and ended with All the President Men. Although The Parallax View received mix reviews upon it initial release, today it is generally considered a classic of its genre that reflects America in the 1970s and the worst fears many had about its political system during that turbulent moment in the nation's history. Although the film does deal with political assassinations and conspiracy, it also provides a powerful meditation, specifically through its infamous montage scene known as the "Parallax Test Sequence", on the U.S.'s often spoken of "loss of innocence" after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Additionally the film's cinematography by Gordon Willis and soundtrack by Michael Small have been praised as well. It is, perhaps, for this reason that The Parallax View, all these years later in 2021, received the coveted Criterion Collection treatment in a new Blu-Ray release. To coincide with this Parallax Views, which takes its name in part from this film, is offering up a three part retrospective of the classic 1970s paranoid thriller. In part three, Jon Boorstin, who worked as an intern/assistant to director Alan J. Pakula on The Parallax View, joins us to reminisce about the film and its significance in light of the January 6th riots. In addition to The Parallax View Jon also served as the director for the Oscar-nominated 1974 short documentary Exploratorium and has written such books as Mabel and Me: A Novel About the Movies and Making Movies Work: Thinking Like a Filmmaker. For Jon The Parallax View is more than a movie dealing with conspiracy. It is, he believes, a movie that uses conspiracy as a launching off point to explore the best and worst aspects of the human condition and how we can be manipula

On this edition of Parallax Views, for a period in the 1970s a conspiracy-drenched genre known alternately as the paranoid thriller or paranoid political came into vogue. The aftermath of the political assassinations of the 1960s, which saw the violent deaths of public figures like Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., black radical Malcolm X, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and President John F. Kennedy, combined with the tumult of the Vietnam War, the Presidency of Richard Nixon, the saga of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, and the scandal of the Watergate break-in created the perfect storm for critical, bleak reassessments of the American political system that stood in stark contrast to the seeming innocence of the "Camelot years" that preceded it. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Old Hollywood studio system led to a period (often referred to as New Hollywood) of daring and creative flourishing in American cinema that produced such modern classics as Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, and Midnight Cowboy among others. It was from this fertile ground that the conspiracy-drenched 1970s paranoid thriller rose to prominence. Among the classics of this particular genre are such features as Three Days of the Condor, The Boys from Brazil, The Conversation, Soylent Green, Serpico, Capricorn One, and the film that's been referred to as "The Godfather of paranoid political thrillers", The Parallax View. Following in the footsteps of 1973's Executive Action, The Parallax View dealt with questions of conspiracy as they related to political assassinations. But whereas the Burt Lancaster starring Executive Action offered a conspiratorial explanation for the JFK assassination, The Parallax View took a different approach. Although the film featured veiled references to real life matters like the Warren Commission, the death of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, the PERMINDEX trade organization believed by New Orleans DA Jim Garrison to have played a pivotal role in the JFK assassination, and the "girl in the polka dot dress" of the RFK assassination, its characters and events are ultimately constructions of its makers imaginations. In other words, The Parallax View is a fictional exploration of political assassinations and the conspiracy theories that arise from them. The Parallax View stars Warren Beatty as dogged reporter Joseph Frady, who, after the fatal shooting of a presidential candidate, stumbles upon a vast conspiracy involving a shadowy organization known as the Parallax Corporation. As Frady falls deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole in his search for the truth he finds that the Parallax Corporation seemingly specializes in the recruitment of assassins for highly-valued hits on political leaders. Will Frady be able to bust the story wide open by staying one-step ahead of the Parallax Corporation? Or is the Parallax Corporation already one step ahead of him? Based on the novel of the same name by Lorenzo Singer, The Parallax View was adapted for the silver screen by David Giler and Three Days of the Condor's Lorenzo Semple, Jr. with a rewrite by Robert Towne amidst a looming Writer's Guild of America strike. The film marks the second entry in director Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy" that started with Klute and ended with All the President Men. Although The Parallax View received mix reviews upon it initial release, today it is generally considered a classic of its genre that reflects America in the 1970s and the worst fears many had about its political system during that turbulent moment in the nation's history. Although the film does deal with political assassinations and conspiracy, it also provides a powerful meditation, specifically through its infamous montage scene known as the "Parallax Test Sequence", on the U.S.'s often spoken of "loss of innocence" after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Additionally the film's cinematography by Gordon Willis and soundtrack by Michael Small have been praised as well. It is, perhaps, for this reason that The Parallax View, all these years later in 2021, received the coveted Criterion Collection treatment in a new Blu-Ray release. To coincide with this Parallax Views, which takes its name in part from this film, is offering up a three part retrospective of the classic 1970s paranoid thriller. In part two, filmmaker Alex Cox, who has directed such cult classics as Sid and Nancy, Repo Man, and Walker among many others, joins us to discuss both The Parallax View from a filmmaker's viewpoints and in relation to politics. Alex has a keen interest in the Kennedy assassination as evidenced by his book The President and the Provocateur: The Parallel Lives of JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald. In addition, Alex fills us in on Dorothy Kilgallen, the journalist upon whom the Paula Prentiss character Lee Carter seems to be based as well as what he calls "elite system maintenance", political solutions for the problems facing us today, QAnon and Russiagate, and the obscure film The Mat

On this edition of Parallax Views, for a period in the 1970s a conspiracy-drenched genre known alternately as the paranoid thriller or paranoid political came into vogue. The aftermath of the political assassinations of the 1960s, which saw the violent deaths of public figures like Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., black radical Malcolm X, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and President John F. Kennedy, combined with the tumult of the Vietnam War, the Presidency of Richard Nixon, the saga of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, and the scandal of the Watergate break-in created the perfect storm for critical, bleak reassessments of the American political system that stood in stark contrast to the seeming innocence of the "Camelot years" that preceded it. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Old Hollywood studio system led to a period (often referred to as New Hollywood) of daring and creative flourishing in American cinema that produced such modern classics as Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, and Midnight Cowboy among others. It was from this fertile ground that the conspiracy-drenched 1970s paranoid thriller rose to prominence. Among the classics of this particular genre are such features as Three Days of the Condor, The Boys from Brazil, The Conversation, Soylent Green, Serpico, Capricorn One, and the film that's been referred to as "The Godfather of paranoid political thrillers", The Parallax View. Following in the footsteps of 1973's Executive Action, The Parallax View dealt with questions of conspiracy as they related to political assassinations. But whereas the Burt Lancaster starring Executive Action offered a conspiratorial explanation for the JFK assassination, The Parallax View took a different approach. Although the film featured veiled references to real life matters like the Warren Commission, the death of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, the PERMINDEX trade organization believed by New Orleans DA Jim Garrison to have played a pivotal role in the JFK assassination, and the "girl in the polka dot dress" of the RFK assassination, its characters and events are ultimately constructions of its makers imaginations. In other words, The Parallax View is a fictional exploration of political assassinations and the conspiracy theories that arise from them. The Parallax View stars Warren Beatty as dogged reporter Joseph Frady, who, after the fatal shooting of a presidential candidate, stumbles upon a vast conspiracy involving a shadowy organization known as the Parallax Corporation. As Frady falls deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole in his search for the truth he finds that the Parallax Corporation seemingly specializes in the recruitment of assassins for highly-valued hits on political leaders. Will Frady be able to bust the story wide open by staying one-step ahead of the Parallax Corporation? Or is the Parallax Corporation already one step ahead of him? Based on the novel of the same name by Lorenzo Singer, The Parallax View was adapted for the silver screen by David Giler and Three Days of the Condor's Lorenzo Semple, Jr. with a rewrite by Robert Towne amidst a looming Writer's Guild of America strike. The film marks the second entry in director Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy" that started with Klute and ended with All the President Men. Although The Parallax View received mix reviews upon it initial release, today it is generally considered a classic of its genre that reflects America in the 1970s and the worst fears many had about its political system during that turbulent moment in the nation's history. Although the film does deal with political assassinations and conspiracy, it also provides a powerful meditation, specifically through its infamous montage scene known as the "Parallax Test Sequence", on the U.S.'s often spoken of "loss of innocence" after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Additionally the film's cinematography by Gordon Willis and soundtrack by Michael Small have been praised as well. It is, perhaps, for this reason that The Parallax View, all these years later in 2021, received the coveted Criterion Collection treatment in a new Blu-Ray release. To coincide with this Parallax Views, which takes its name in part from this film, is offering up a three part retrospective of the classic 1970s paranoid thriller. In part one, noted film historian Joseph McBride returns to the show to give his thoughts on The Parallax View as well as to discuss the film in the context of the Kennedy assassination, the Nixon Presidency and Watergate, and the rise of New Hollywood. He also offers some personal stories about The Parallax View's director Alan J. Pakula, discusses the technical aspects of the film such as the lauded cinematography done by Gordon Willis, and much, much more.

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, what is the meaning of the term deep state? Is the concept dangerous in light of the rise of QAnon? Is there a usefulness to the concept when used in a different context and meaning than the way its been used by the QAnon movement? What of the left-wing uses of the term to describe the National Security State? Has the deep state created a society in which our horizons are limited by a militarization of the and moral and political imagination? We explore those questions and many more in this panel discussion featuring international law scholar Prof. Richard Falk (professor emeritus of International Law at Princeton University), Prof. Peter Dale Scott (poet, essayist, and all-around maverick thinker who helped popularize the concept of the "Deep State" in the U.S.), and Aaron Good, Ph.D. Among the topics we discuss: - Richard's conceptualization of the deep state as being the force behind the bipartisan U.S. foreign policy consensus in favor of militaristic approaches - How Peter's conceptualization of the deep state differs from that of Trump supporters; Steve Bannon's hijacking of the term deep state and its shallowness - Continuity of Government (COG), Operation Garden Plot, Rex 84, and 9/11 - The militarization of problem-solving and conflict resolution as a major threat to peace and harmony in our world - How threats are used to bolster militarization; "The New Pearl Harbor", the Project for a New American Century (PNAC), and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld - The deep state and the positive role it could play in addressing the climate change crisis - Richard's belief that the military aspect of the deep state as the worst aspect of the deep state - Peter's formulation of the deep state as including more elements than merely intelligence agencies and beltway institutions; the deep state as having warring faction (the right-wing being represented by groups like the John Birch Society) - The possibilities of nuclear war as we move towards a New Cold War with China (and Russia) - The current issues facing America today as a systemic failure related to economic globalization rather than simply an elite failure; the blowback of economic globalization's failing; the resurgence of the far-right on a global scale (specifically seen in countries like Brazil and the Philippines) - Mass alienation in the U.S. and economic decline across the globe - The multipolar world and hopes for the future - Is the deep state more than merely the National Security State?

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, can there ever be peace on the Korean Peninsula? Tim Shorrock, an investigative journalist of high repute for The Nation, hopes so. But there are many obstacles and they are not necessariy simply to be laid at the feet of North Korea. In fact, there is a long history of tensions between the U.S. and North Korea and, in many cases Shorrock argues, North Korea is justified in its distrust of D.C. Shorrock joins us on this edition of the program to outline the history of those tensions and discuss his new article in The Nation entitled "Biden Is Adopting a Militaristic Approach to the Far East". In this regard we discuss the history of Kurt Campbell President Joe Biden's newly appointed director "Indo-Pacific Affairs" at the National Security Council. Campbell, Shorrock says, "a career diplomat and business lobbyist steeped in the traditional Cold War posture toward Asia." Shorrock and I also discuss the defense industry's role in the hawkish approach of U.S. foreign policy towards North Korea and China, the Center of a New American Security, George W. Bush and the neocons, and much, much more.

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, right-wing talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh passed away on February 17th, 2021 at the age of 71 from complications of his battle with lung cancer. Described in obituaries as "The Voice of American Conservativism", Limbaugh's polarizing discourse had a profound effect on the trajectory of the American right-wing from the post-Reagan era to the rise of Donald Trump. What is the legacy of this talk radio behemoth and what has it's impact been on society today? Joining us to unpack those two questions is scholar John K. Wilson, author of The Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh's Assault on Reason (2011; Thomas Dunne Books). For years Wilson listened to Limbaugh to understand and keep tabs on the pulse of American conservativism and its thought. In this conversation he takes us through Limbaugh's many fabrications, his promotion of conspiracy theories, views on climate change, the impact he as well the likes of Roger Ailes and Fox News had on the media landscape, Limbaugh as an entertainer, Limbaugh's effect on academia, and much, much more. In addition to all of this Wilson and I have a discussion about the Fairness Doctrine and whether it's repeal during the Reagan era is really the reason for Limbaugh's rise to prominence. In this regard we chat about the issue of free speech and Wilson's views on why the Left should not allow the Right to claim free speech or, for that matter, freedom and liberty as a conservative issues. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views. LINKS: "The Death of Rush Limbaugh, and How He Transformed America" by John K. Wilson (Academe Blog)

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is attempting to change the conversation about foreign policy in Washington, D.C. today. In dong so they're challenging what has been referred to as the Washington "Blob", or the foreign policy consensus that dominates the beltway. A trans-partisan effort that boasts voices from both the right and left ends of the political spectrum, the Quincy Institute has been promoting the possibilities of diplomatic approaches to foreign policy over the hawkish, militaristic approaches. Kelley Vlahos, who plays a key role in the Quincy Institute's official online magazine Responsible Statecraft, joins us to discuss the work of the Institute and make the case that U.S. "Forever Wars" have not been in the national interest. In this conversation we discuss a number of different topics related to foreign policy from U.S. relations with North Korea and Russia to the Iran deal and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Kelley offers her thoughts on what she considers the damage that's been done by the D.C. "Blob" and why she believes the conversation on foreign policy is finally shifting to a different approach. In addition, Kelley discusses her latest article for Responsible Statecraft entitled "In major address Biden says ‘America is back.’ But what does that mean?". In this regard Kelley and I discuss what direction President Joe Biden's U.S. foreign policy may be headed in, her hopes that it will show more restraint in its approach, and how the previous Presidential administration of Donald J. Trump did not deliver on its promises concerning a major sea change in U.S. foreign policy. Near the end of the program Kelley fills listeners in own her own podcast The Empire Has No Clothes at The American Conservative. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.