Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

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.

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, Aaron Good, a protégé of previous Parallax Views guest Peter Dale Scott, joins us to discuss his dissertation American Exception: Hegemony and the Dissimulation of the State. Hot off his appearance on TrueAnon, Aaron explains to us his concept of the Tripartite State as it relates to ideas about the Democratic State, the National Security State, and finally (and most controversially) the Deep State (although Aaron's conception of the Deep State, much like Peter Dale Scott's, is very different than the popular QAnon formulation of the concept). In this conversation we discuss: - Peter Dale Scott's conception of the "Overworld" and Underworld of power. - How Aaron became involved in subjects related to Scott's work - The formation of the CIA and its relation to Wall Street - U.S. supported coup d'états and support of Latin American death squads - The Nixon era, Watergate, the Church Committee, the election of Ronald Reagan, and America's political realignments - The John Birch Society, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Trilateral Commission and other organizations/groups - The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal, The Safari Club, international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi of Iran/Contra infamy, intelligence agencies, and other skullduggery - Alliances between the mob and capitalism; United Fruit Company; Meyer Lansky; Nugen-Hand Bank; CIA agent Miles Copeland's comments about a "CIA within a CIA" - The revolving door between government, particularly intelligence agencies, and the private sectors of the military-industrial-complex - John Locke, the State of Emergency and Continuity of Government (COG) - Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt, the Cold War, and the concepts of the Dual State, the State of Exception, and the Sovereign - The hegemonic nature of what Aaron calls the Tripartite State - Peter Dale Scott's ideas about parapolitics and deep politics; the deep political system - Aaron and Peter Dale Scott's recent CovertAction Magazine essay "Was the Now-Forgotten Murder of One Man on September 9, 2001 a Crucial Pre-condition for 9/11?"

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, much has been made, on both the the political right and left, of the power big tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter wield in our lives. Dublin-based lawyer Paul Tweed, known as "The Doyen of Defamation", joins us to discuss how he is taking on these big tech giants directly and why he views Facebook and Twitter as publisher rather than mere platforms. Tweed is rather well-known and a high-profile lawyer. He's represented Liam Neeson (more on that in the conversation!), Brittney Spears, "J-Lo" Jennifer Lopez, and many others. In this conversation we discuss big tech giants dodging taxes, the dangers of print media's decline, big tech as worse than George Orwell's 1984, censorship, fake news and misinformation, why Tweed considers Facebook and Twitter publishers instead of platforms, Facebook attempting to be its own judge and jury (it's own supercourt?), regulating websites like Facebook and Twitter, online revenge porn, Facebook and Twitter as creating a "Frankenstein's monster", social media sucking money out of investigative journalism, antitrust legislation, 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, boxing is known as the "Sweet Science" due to its technical aspects. Historian Gerald Horne, however, offers a different perspective on the sport and its history in The Bittersweet Science: Racism, Racketeering, and the Political Economy of Boxing. In this book Horne explodes the untold story of boxing as it relates to racism, capitalism, deregulation, and the exploitation of labor. Horne joins us on this edition of the program to delve deep into the untold aspect of the sport and thus provide a fresh take on the history of boxing in America. From the days of the slave battle royales to the stories of Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, Joe Gans and other legends of the ring Horne takes us on a journey that encompasses the shadows of Reagan and Nixon, the mob, the "Great White Hope" trope, boxing promoters like , the lack of unions for boxers, match-fixing, Watergate, Roy Cohn, the business-side of boxing as an example of capitalism unchained and unregulated, and much, much more. Also in this conversation, Horne explains the connection between his previous works on settler-colonialism and this latest work on the subject of boxing and the dark underbelly of its illustrious history. And yes, we do make mention of Floyd Mayweather. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views,

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, remember the Nashville bombing of Christmas 2020? You may not as it fell down the proverbial memory hole pretty quickly. However, our guest on this edition of the program, Steve O'Keefe, has had the incident on his mind. O'Keefe has an interesting perspective on the Nashville bombing due to his background: he formerly worked for the controversial publisher Loompanics Unlimited. Loompanics specialized in books that could be described as illegalist literature. Loompanics Unlimited managed to enrage leftists, liberal, libertarians, and rightists alike in the 1980s and 1990s, although it could be said that Loompanics itself was of a individualist anarchist bent in its general political philosophy. At the beginning of this conversation details the history of Loompanics, the books it published and sold, and tells us a little bit about its publisher Mike Hoy. In doing so Steve lays the groundwork for giving a different perspective on the Nashville bombing based on his editing of books that dealt with illegal activities while working at Loompanics. Recently, Steve wrote a piece for Counterpunch entitled "The Nashville Bombing, More Than Meets the Eye" which raises questions about the Nashville bombing and the fact that a single, 65 year old man like Anthony Quinn Warner could pull off such an explosion with a simple bomb and an RV. Warner's actions led to his death as well as the injury of 8 civilians and the destruction of a great amount of property in downtown Nashville. Steve explains in detail the problems that arise from the fact that Warner was, if the account of the events as it is currently understood, acting alone. That said, Steve also argues that Warner may have learned how to pull off the explosion through others and/or a network. Either way, however, Steve believes that the incident is troubling and concerning. Given Steve's experience editing literature related to bombs, weapons, and illegal activities I think he provides and interesting perspective on the Nashville bombing. This conversation delves into issues related to the AT&T building's hydrogen material that could've allowed for a bigger explosion, the question of how Warner would've know about those hydrogen materials, the vulnerabilities of telecommunications facilities like AT&T, asymmetric warfare and terrorism, the tight-lipped response of law enforcement in regards to the bombing, why after the publication of the article Steve has come to believe Warner didn't build a superbomb, Warner evading the attention of authorities, whether or not Warner worked alone, and much, much more. Additionally we have a bit of an extended discussion later on about Loompanics and whether said books should be protected by the Second Amendment, etc. NOTE: The views expressed by Steve O'Keefe are his own.

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 right-wing President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro has often been looked at as the Brazilian equivalent of Donald Trump. But who is Bolsonaro? How did he get into power? Who are the forces that have backed his regime? Brian Mier of teleSUR English and BrasilWire joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to answer all those question and more. Brian's new documentary, Dismantling Brazil: Bolsonaro's Neoliberal Agenda, lays out how Bolsonaro has dismantled Brazil economically thus leaving the average people and the poor of Bolsonaro's Brazil in the dust. Brian explains how the the rich and wealthy have reaped all the benefits from the reign of Bolsonaro and his regime. In fact, he says Bolsonaro's Presidency has led to a massive wealth transfer to the rich, Brazilian businessmen, and international capital. In addition to discuss these matters Brian also details how the Java Lato and Operation Car Wash were used to dispose of President Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff and thus lead to the installment of Jair Bolsonaro. In this regard, Brian tells the story of the Brazilian judge Sergio Moro and his role in getting Bolsonaro to power. Brian makes the case that President Lula da Silva and his allies were removed via trumped up corruption charges. The true heart of corruption, however, according to Brian is Bolsonaro, who, it should be added, has styled himself as an everyday man even though he is anything but that. Brian and I mention the works of former CIA agent turned whistleblower Philip Agee of CovertAction Magazine (author of Inside the the Company: CIA Diary) and John Perkins (author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman) in the course of this conversation as being worthwhile to further understanding the U.S.'s relationship to Brazil over the years. Brian details how the U.S. has supported military dictatorship in Brazil over the decades and the ways in which Bolsonaro represents a kind of "subfascism" that subordinates itself to American interests rather than simply Brazilian nationalism. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

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, in late January 2021 it was reported by such legacy media outlets as Reuters, The New York Times, and The Washington Post that Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the far-right Proud Boys, had acted as an informant for both local and federal law enforcement from 2012-2014. Tarrio was arrested in Washington, D.C. on January 4th, just two days prior to the now infamous January 6th storming of the Capitol carried about by pro-Trump elements like QAnon and "Stop the Steal", on a destruction of property charge. This, however, was not the Cuban-American Proud Boy leader's first arrest and, indeed, Tarrio has prior arrest and convictions to his name dating back to 2004. Based on transcripts from a 2015 federal court hearing obtained by the new agency Reuters, journalist Aram Roston reported: "In the Miami hearing, a federal prosecutor, a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and Tarrio’s own lawyer described his undercover work and said he had helped authorities prosecute more than a dozen people in various cases involving drugs, gambling and human smuggling." Tarrio has denied acting as an informant for law enforcement. But, given the evidence, it would appear that Tarrio's denials contradict the reality. Although his cooperation with federal law enforcement predates the January 6th Capitol siege, does Tarrio's work as an informant raise questions about how the FBI operates its confidential sources? Ret. FBI Special Agent Coleen Rowley, most known for her whistleblowing in relation to 9/11 intelligence failures culminating in her testifying before the Senate and 9/11 Commission and appearing on the cover of TIME magazine, joins us to discuss what she refers to as "problematic issues of operating confidential sources" in light of these revelations about Enrique Tarrio as outlined in her recent op-ed "Curiouser and Curiouser: The Proud Boys’ Leader as a ‘Prolific’ Law Enforcement Confidential Source". In this conversation we discuss a number of issues related to the broader problem of how confidential sources are used in the FBI including: - J. Edgard Hoover, COINTELPRO, and the FBI targeting of feminist and civil rights groups; the fall-out the FBI faced over the Church Committee investigation into these matters; Rowley's insight into these matters as someone who began working for the FBI around the time of the Church Committee fallout - The infamous case of Whitey Bulger, the Irish-American Boston organized crime boss who also acted as an informant for federal law enforcement - The motivations of confidential sources; the "Good Citizen" category; the problem of confidential sources that don't fit the "Good Citizen" category (which Coleen argues is most cases) - The story of Lindley DeVecchio, Coleen's former boss, who acted as the handler for mob informants; DeVecchio was responsible for Colombo crime family capo Gregory Scarpa - The Department of Justice Inspector General 2005 study and 2019 audit that reveal the problems of how informants are operated by federal law enforcement; the incentives for informants and problems that arise from that - Investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson's "The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Maufactured War on Terrorism" and how federal agencies benefit from these post-911/War on Terror operations involving confidential sources - Is there adequate control or oversight with regards to the use of these confidential sources and informants by the FBI? - The possibility for reform - 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, the Committee for a SANE U.S.-China Policy was recently formed by Michael Klare, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Arms Control Association, and Joseph Gerson, a long-time peace organizer whose work stretches back to the days of the Vietnam War, over their concerns that the hawkish Washington D.C. consensus on U.S. foreign policy towards China has birthed a dangerous New Cold War that could, through one false move by either side, turn hot. Klare joins us on this edition of the program to describe this new organization's goals and how the U.S. could take a different approach to China. Among the topics we cover: - The fear permeating Washington, D.C. over the rise of China as a rival superpower to the United States - The military-industrial complex that benefits from a New Cold War between China and the U.S. In this regards we discuss military spending, the Pentagon, and defense contractors - The problems on both the U.S. and China sides of this New Cold War. Tensions over the South China Sea and Taiwan - The frightening potential for a World War - The challenges and potentials for the U.S. of China's rise and the alternative approaches that can be taken to dealing with China's rise rather than aggression and provocation - Can we achieve a co-existence? - The need to address the climate change crisis globally and how China and the U.S. may have to cooperate on this matter - The relationship between the U.S. and China as a clash of two nationalisms backed by militarism - Greater dialogue between the U.S. and China as a possible way forward in U.S.-China relations; discussing other forms of conflict resolutions that are mutually beneficial to the U.S., China, and the world - Policy Papers — Committee for a SANE U.S.-China Policy by Michael Klare - Track 2 and Track 1.5 diplomacy - 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, is American an Empire? And, if it is, is that Empire decline? Noted academic Alfred W. McCoy, Fred Harvey Harrington Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, believes the the answer to both those question is "Yes." McCoy has authored numerous books over the years including The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror, Policing America’s Empire: The United States, the Philippines, and the Rise of the Surveillance State, but his most recent book, In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of US Global Power, deals with the idea the idea of as a declining empire most directly. Last month, McCoy penned an article for TomDispatch that supplements the observations and analysis of In the Shadows of the American Century. Entitled "While America Was Sleeping: Waking from a Four-Year Fever Dream to Find Global Power Gone", the piece explores the ramifications of the 4-year Trump Presidency on America's status as a global hegemon and what it portends for the new President Joe Biden and America as a whole. In this conversation McCoy and I discuss a number of issues including: - The idea of America as an empire - The ascension of China as a global power, the decline of American primacy, and what both together mean for the world - Obama's geopolitical strategy and the TPP (Trans-Pacific Parternship) - The imperial hubris of the George W. Bush Presidency and the Iraq War; the "unanaswerable question" of pinpointing the exact reason of U.S.'s decline in terms of global power - Trump's acceleration of the decline and why McCoy believes the full-force of said decline could be felt as soon as 2030 - Reasons for China's ascent as a global power - 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, Paul Jay is a journalist and documentarian behind the thoughtful independent media outlet theAnalysis.News. Prior to founding theAnalysis.News, where he hosts interviews with such figures as Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Matt Taibbi, Abby Martin, Noam Chomsky, and many others, he directed the documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (concerning pro wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart and his relationship to the WWE and Vince McMahon) and served as the founder, CEO, and Senior Editor of The Real News Network. Paul joins us on this edition of the show to do what he does best: provide an analysis of the world and the events sweeping it today. In particular we focus on the dual process of the financialization and what Paul calls the fascistization of American culture. We delve into the long shadow of the Cold War mentality and how modern far-right movements with a penchant for the paranoid-style in American politics, like QAnon, have predecessors like the John Birch Society in the 20th century. Additionally we discuss the struggles of the political Left today and how they relate to the struggles of today. We talk about socialism and the crushing of socialist movements in the 20th century, the Soviet Union, McCarthyism, and more in this regard. Additionally, we also discuss how hyper-capitalism or a kind of capitalism-on-steroids has created a situation of multiple crises of epic proportions. In particular, Paul consider the climate crisis and the lack of time we have in dealing with said crisis. Additionally, Paul and I discuss what can be done, the Democratic Party and corporate politics, third party politics and whether they are feasible, Gore Vidal's ideas about the decline of American Empire, Russiagate, the digital revolution and digitized globalization, how financial capital and Wall Streets works in our neoliberal society, Blackrock and the irrationality of Wall Street's mentality, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, true crime author Synova Cantrell joins us for a riveting discussion of an organized crime syndicate known as The Dixie Mafia. If you've ever seen the Walking Tall movies The Dixie Mafia are the antagonists of tough southern Sheriff Buford Pusser (portrayed in the movies by Joe Don Baker, Bo Svenson, and, in the remake, "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). But the story of Buford Pusser and his battle against The Dixie Mafia wasn't just the stuff of action movies. Pusser was real and so was the Dixie Mafia. In fact, the Pusser story is only one part of the Dixie Mafia saga. Synova Cantrell, in her book Silenced by the Dixie Mafia: The Anderson Files, tells not only the story of Pusser and the Dixie Mafia but a cold case that has led one woman, Phyllis Anderson, on quest for justice over the course of multiple decades. It's a story of that encompasses arson and murder-for-hire plots, police brutality and police misconduct, racist groups like the KKK, lawless southern-fried criminality in rural America that was arguably more vicious than the Italian mob, moonshine, poverty, villains resembling more serious versions of The Dukes of Hazzard characters Boss Hogg and Roscoe, Southern belles gone bad, and even the break-up of the the Allman Brothers band! We delve into a number of these areas including: - The origins of the Dixie Mafia by way of the Stateline mob - The brilliance of the Dixie Mafia and characters like Towhead White as well as the structure of the Dixie Mafia - The Dixie Mafia, "The Godfathers of Southern Rock" the Allman Brothers, and the RICO act - The real Buford Pusser and the mythology of the Walking Tall movies; Buford "The Bull" Pusser's one-man war against the Dixie Mafia and his fight to the death with Towhead White - The vicious and seductive Louise Hathcock, the Queen of the Stateline mob - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Jeremy Kuzmarov of CovertAction Magazine joins us to discuss his 5-part series of articles on Biden's foreign policy with a particular focus on the first in the series: "The Forgotten Story of How Joe Biden Helped Ramp Up the War on Drugs in Colombia". What was Biden's role in Reagan's War on Drugs and the awful Plan Colombia which targetted the leftist group FARC as narco-terrorists? Find out on this edition of the show as we critique Joe Biden's involvement in Plan Colombia and the devastating effects it has had on the Central American country. Additionally, Kuzmarov tells us a bit about the recently relaunched CovertAction Magazine, founded by the late CIA whistleblower Phil Agee, and gives his thoughts on U.S.-Russia relations in light of the protests that broke out in relation to Alexey Navalny. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views that gets into foreign policy, imperialism, paramilitary juantas, corruption and drug trafficking, counterinsurgency, 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, David H. Price is a scholar who has been studying aspects of the National Security State from the Cold War onward. In particular, he has written a great deal about the weaponizing of academic anthropology during the Cold War by the National Security establishment in America. His two books, Weaponizing Anthropology and Cold War Anthropology, cover the matters in-depth. Recently he also penned an article for Counterpunch entitled The CIA Book Publishing Operations: Fragments of Sol Chaneles’ Lost Manuscript detailing the CIA's involvement in book publishing during the Cold War (ie: the CIA's promotion of the book Doctor Zhiavago, the Ramparts investigation into the issue of CIA and the publishing world, and more). David Price joins us on this edition of the program to discuss both the weaponization of anthropology and his recent research into the CIA's involvement in the publishing industry as well as giving listeners an idea of how to file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and engage in quality research. We also touch on topics like MKULTRA, Don Delillo's observations about the CIA, Cold War liberals in the National Security State apparatus, and much, much more! NOTE FROM THE HOST: Late in the interview I mistakenly refer to William Casey as "Wild" Bill Casey when I was meaning to refer to OSS's "Wild" Bill Donovan.

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 U.S COVID-19 vaccine rollout has not been off to the best start. What has led to these failings that have turned obtaining the vaccine into a Hunger Games-style Darwinian competition? And how can these failings be remedied? Elisabeth Rosenthal, editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News and a contributing writer for the New York Times, joins us to discuss these issues and more. Rosenthal, author of the book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business And How You Can Take It Back and the recent NYT op-ed "Yes, It Matters That People Are Jumping the Vaccine Line", takes us through the problems of inequity that have arisen due to a hollowed-out public health system, the mistakes made during the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, the lack of central planning in dealing with the vaccine rollout, people "jumping the line" to get the vaccine, how the most in need of the vaccine are not always the first in line to receive it, and what can be done under the Biden administration to remedy these issues.

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, former National Security insider Mevlin Goodman, who has worked for the CIA, the State Department, and the Department of Defense's National War College, joins us to discuss the problem of the politicization of intelligence work in the U.S. and President Joe Biden's picks for the CIA (William Burns, a career diplomat) and Secretary of Defense (Retired General and Raytheon official Lloyd Austin, who some analysts, including Goodman, will widen the the civil-military gap). We delve into Goodman's history in intelligence work and his views on what has gone wrong with how the National Security State has operated in the past few decades. We also discuss the dumbing down of America, U.S.-China relations, Michael Scheuer of the CIA's Bin Laden Unit Michael Scheuer, the idea of the "deep state", defense spending, the civil-military gap, 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 bonus edition of Parallax Views, users of the "Wall Street Bets" Reddit have wreaked havoc on Wall Street hedge funds in relation to Gamestop and other stocks in the past day. What is this? The Gamestopocalypse? What should we make of this stock market mayhem? Mike Swanson of the Wall Street Window and author of the new book Why the Vietnam War (and previously The War State) joins us to discuss the matter and the problems with apps like Robinhood, which is currently coming under fire from figures like Congresswoman Rashida Taleb. Everyone from Tucker Carlson to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has chimed in on this controversy. Mike Swanson has a take you may disagree but I thought this conversation was worthwhile as some whose reactions to the events have thus far differed from Mike's own analysis.

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, a quick-and-dirty rundown of where U.S. foreign policy stands at this early stage in the Biden Presidency. Dave DeCamp, news editor for Antiwar.Com, joins us to talk Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken, hawkish figures like Samantha Power and Victoria Nuland's involvement in the administration, the War in Yemen, the prospects for renewing the Iran deal, Biden's Defense Secretary pick Lloyd Austin, the tensions between China and the U.S. especially as they regard to the South China Sea, 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, photojournalist Zach D. Roberts of the Palast Investigative Fund joins us to discuss the investigative journalism he and Greg Palast undertook in the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol riots. What Roberts and Palast found was the high-profile members of the GOP, including from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Georgia Republican Party, had coordinated with Ali Alexander, an alt-right activist associated with Roger Stone and other far-right figures that played a role in organizing the "Stop the Steal" movement that stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. We discuss this in detail as well as going over Zach and Greg's work on voter suppression, voter purges in the Georgia election, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views we continue our examination of the late New York Times journalist Neil Sheehan, this time covering a news story published in NYT after his death by reporter Janny Scott proclaiming to tell the true story of the Pentagon Papers and Sheehan's involvement in the affair that was not previously known. The article, entitled "Now It Can Be Told: How Neil Sheehan Got the Pentagon Papers", seems to treat Neil Sheehan as the true hero of the the saga while portraying the story's whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg as a fearful neurotic with a penchant for making foolish mistakes. The Pentagon Papers, which were a secret Pentagon study of the Vietnam War commissioned by Robert McNamara that exposed how the U.S. government had been deceiving the public about the war effort, is a monumental case in the history of 20th century politics and journalism. As such Janny Scott's story, in which Sheehan gives a different version of events, is an important development. Jim Naureckis of the media watchdog organization Fair and Accuracy in Media (FAIR), however, argues the Scott story is misleading. As such Naureckis and FAIR released an Action Alert to its readers entitled "What Can ‘Now Be Told’ by NYT About Pentagon Papers Isn’t Actually True". Jim joins us to discuss the problems with the NYT article purporting to tell a new truth about the Pentagon Papers as well as discussing the problems of valorizing journalists as heroes while downplaying the importance and bravery of whistleblowers like Ellsberg. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the acclaimed New York Times journalist Neil Sheehan passed away on January 7th, 2021. Sheehan is particularly known for his reporting on the Vietnam War, his bestseller A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, and his involvement in the story of whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. Although highly regarded by most, Jim DiEugenio of Kennedys and King offered criticisms of Sheehan's journalistic oeuvre in his piece "Neil Sheehan: In Retrospect". Jim joins us on this edition of the program to offer a parallax view on the work of Neil Sheehan and his contemporary David Halberstam, author of The Best and the Brightest, as it relates to their work on the Vietnam war. DiEugenio argues in his heavily footnoted piece that, contrary to recognizing the Vietnam War as a folly, Sheenan offers a "Lost Cause" theory of the conflict that has since been taken up by journalists today like Max Boot (author of The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the Tragedy in Vietnam) and others. Additionally, DiEugenio makes thoughtful critiques of Sheehan in relation to the story of the Pentagon Papers and Sheehan's spat with attorney Mark Lane over Vietnam atrocity. This is a fascinating conversation that also manages to delve into foreign policy during the administration of President John F. Kennedy and a rundown of the story behind the Pentagon Papers. Additionally, Jim offers his thoughts on the Capitol riots of January 6th, 2021. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

On this edition of Parallax VIews, Ross Benes, author of Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold, joins us for a probing, sincere conversation on America's much discussed "rural-urban divide" and his experiences moving from a small-town in Nebraska to the cosmopolitan world of New York. Although Ross's book has a great deal of hard journalism and statistics regarding how the Republican Party has taken hold of Nebraska, we use the conversation to delve into the autobiographical and inter-personal elements of Rural Rebellion in this rousing discussion. Why is there such a divide between the America mid-west and the country's big cities? And can the divide be overcame? This conversation doesn't necessarily provide all the answers but it does raise important points to consider in regards to how we relate to each other in an increasingly atomizing society that is fraught with friction. This particular discussion seems particularly relevant in light of the pro-Trump elements, such as QAnon and the Stop the Steal movement, that caused much chaos on Capitol Hill on January 6th, 2021.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Conrad Hamilton, co-author of Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson (w/ Ben Burgis, Matt McManus, and Marion Trejo), joins us to give his take on the political situation in the U.S. from the perspective of someone currently watching the American turmoil from Paris, France. Conrad and I delve into the realm of theory in an attempt to explain the current situation as well as touching on areas related to left-wing debates concerning class reduction vs. identity politics, U.S. saber-rattling at China, the Capitol Hill riots, Trumpism, and much, much more. Is America in crisis? Conrad makes the case and argues that the political Left needs to step up to the plate for that very reason. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views

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, National Security scholar Nicholas Grossman recently penned an open letter to QAnon believers entitled "QAnon Woke Up the Real Deep State" warning them that the Capitol Hill riots is going to trigger a harsh reaction from the real National Security rather than the fevered conspiratorial fantasies they imagine in their minds. Nicholas joins us for a conversation about the piece and some of the points he raises in it as well as discussing the potential pitfalls of new domestic terrorist laws and elucidating what the real deep state is and how it works. Nicholas makes the case that QAnon, "Stope the Steal", and other fervent Trump supporters may have bitten off more than they can chew with the 1/6/21 incident on Capitol Hill. Is the National Security State's response going to be what QAnon and similar movements signed up for? Nicholas argues not and also discusses groups like The Oathkeepers and their relationship to the militia movements of the 1990s to help us better understand the situation involving domestic terrorism today and the National Security State's response to it. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

The following was initially a video interview published by the Romanian left media outlet The Barricade. It is an discussion with Chip Berlet, a long time researcher into the movement and machinations of the American far-right, conducted after the events on Capitol Hill on 1/6/21. It is reposted here as a bonus episode for my listeners. Original description of the episode courtesy of The Barricade: On January 6th, 2021 pro-Trump supporters, from QAnon conspiracy believers to the members of the militia-oriented Oathkeepers organization, stormed Capitol Hill in the belief that sitting President Donald J. Trump had a potential second term in office stolen from him vis-a-vis election fraud. J.G. Michael, host of the Parallax Views podcast, reached out to Chip Berlet, long-time researcher into the machinations of the American far right, for comment. For decades Berlet, a former analyst at Political Research Associates and at one time Vice President of the National Lawyers Guild, has honed his skills as a scholar to become an expert on the topics of right-wing populism, fascism, and the spread of conspiracy theories in society. His writings have been features in such outlets as The New York Times, CovertAction Quarterly, The Progressive, The Public Eye, Z Magazine, and The Des Moines Register. He is also the author of Trumping Democracy: From Reagan to the Alt Right and co-author, with Matthew Lyons, of “Right-Wing Populism: Too Close for Comfort”. In this video interview, conducted exclusively for The Barricade, Berlet gives his thoughts on the Capitol Hill riots, the dangers of unleashing the National Security Apparatus in the aftermath of this event, and much more. J.G. Michael is the producer and host of Parallax Views, a program covering an eclectic variety of topics ranging from politics and pop culture to history and philosophy as well as everything in between. Previously he worked for Zero Books as the co-host of the Alternatives podcast with C. Derrick Varn. He has interviewed such well-known public figures as Noam Chomsky, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Sayles, Lt. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, and many, many others.

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, J.P. Sottile aka the Newsvandal joins us to unpack where America is at after the chaos on Capitol Hill last week in which angry, unruly Trump supporters, QAnon believers, Oath Keepers, and others stormed D.C. in the belief that Joe Biden's Presidential victory was the belief of election fraud and that a second term in the White House was stolen from Trump as a result. J.P., as someone who studied fascism during his years in academia and grew up in an evangelical Christian family, has an interesting take on these matters and believes that the Republican Party has unleashed a beast that has been caged since the McCarthy era. The discussion moves towards one of a philosophical nature as we delve into the idea of Victims and Perpetrators in society and politics with J.P. contending that we are all complicit in a deeply broken society. J.P. mentions the Iraq War in this regard and J.G. brings up Umberto Eco's "Ur-Fascism" essay, but the discussion goes down many different and varied rabbit holes. A deeply thoughtful conversation.

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, C. Derick Varn of Zero Books makes his triumphant return to the program by providing a history lesson on the idea that "politics is downstream from culture" from the idea of cultural hegemony by the Italian Communist thinker Antonio Gramsci to its usage today. In addition, we delve into the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters last week and attempt to tie together all the threads that lead us back to the "politics is downstream from culture" end of our conversation. Needless to say, this is an in-depth discussion that's a tour-de-force of thoughtful historical information, political conversation, and current events that you won't want to miss

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, recently I reached out to Jefferson Morley after Ishmael Reed mentioned that he was the reason his op-ed "The Word on the Vine", which dealt with the claims of the late journalsit Gary Webb and others that the CIA played a role in the LA crack epidemic vis-à-vis the Iran/Contra Affair, was published in The Washington Post. Morley, in addition to being the author of such books as The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton, Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA, and Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835, was a reporter and editor for The Washington Post. He now runs the Deep States blog and reports on issues related to government secrecy, transparency, and intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI. Morley was at the center of the storm so to speak when Gary Webb's Dark Alliance series, which connected to the CIA's involvement with the Iran/Contra scandal to the the LA crack epidemic, and the controversy it created. Many outlets, like The Post, pushed back hard on Webb. Morley lobbied for a closer examination of what Webb may have gotten right or been on the trail of getting correct rather than simply pointing out his errors. In this conversation we begin by revisiting Gary Webb's reporting and then begin delving into other areas of interest such as how Morley began reporting on the cloak and dagger world of intelligence agencies and how they have often been unaccountable for their actions over the decades. We also discuss the origins of the term "Deep State" and how it has been transformed into a snarl word Donald Trump uses against his critics, the pros and cons of news media today and the importance of journalism to a functioning democracy, the problems of a society which deeply distrusts its media, Steven Spielberg's movie The Post, the Amazon series The Last Narc about the death of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, classified documents related to the JFK assassination, op-eds vs. hard reporting, government secrecy and why greater transparency is needed in regards to federal agencies, Morley's lawsuit against the CIA, and much, much more. A note that this was recorded before the January 6th, 2021 pro-Trump mob breach of the Capitol. The conversation, and some of the areas we delve into, seem particularly relevant in regards to this event. I hope you as a listener will find the conversation fascinating.

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 bonus edition of Parallax Views, economist Dr. Jack Rasmus, host of the Alternative Visions radio show and author of The Scourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy from Reagan to Trump, joins us to put the January 6th 2021 pro-Trump mob breach of Capitol Hill. On January 4th, 2021, Dr. Rasmus published an article entitled "What Happens January 6th, 20th & After? America’s Declining Democracy" (also available on Counterpunch as "America’s Continuing Crisis of Democracy" in which he offered his thoughts on Trump and his cohorts like Ted Cruz's game plan for January 6th and January 20th when he is slated to leave the White House. In said op-ed Dr. Rasmus commented on how the Proud Boys and other pro-Trump elements would be on-hand at Washington, D.C. on the 6th in droves. What, though, is the end game? Dr. Rasmus offers that it is not about keeping Trump in office past January 20th, but instead part of a longer term strategy on the Trump loyalists within the GOP to keep control of the Republican Party and further mobilize and radicalize its base going into 2022 and eventually 2024. In this conversation Dr. Rasmus lay out his thoughts from this article as well giving his comment on the events of January 6th, 2021.

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, Prof. William A. Darity, Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen join us to discuss their book From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. What does reparations mean, who are the people fighting for it, and how can those fighting for it win in their efforts? Are there any issues with reparations? What of the controversial ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) movement and its argument that reparations should only be afforded to the descendants of slavery in the United States? What does the term "40 acres and a mule" mean and what is it's relevance to the discussion of reparations for black Americans? Sandy Darity and Kirsten Mullen provide answers to all these questions and many more in the course of this fascinating discussion that deals with the history of slavery, the Civil War, the fight for freedom by black Americans, the racial wealth gap and the wealth differential between blacks and whites, the issue of general wealth vs personal savings and income as the key to wealth accumulation, black criticisms of reparations, the narrative that black Americans would not use reparations responsibly, savings and spending among black and white Americans, and other important subjects related to their book.

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 Parallax Views returns from a New Year's break with a brand new and exciting episode detailing how one of the FBI's most successful female agents joined forces with a Japanese mobster to take down Chicago organized crime. Former FBI Agent Elaine Smith (aka E.C. Smith) joins us to discuss how she became involved in the FBI and ended up on the tail of Ken Eto, a Japanese mobster who acted as a gambling kingpin for the Chicago mob. Eto, after the mob attempted a hit on him in fear he'd rat on them, turned to Elaine Smith to get his revenge on them in court. What followed is a story that is fit for a major motion picture and led to dozens of organized crime figures to be taken down by this duo of two very different kinds of fish-out-of-water outsiders. Elaine also discusses what it was like getting into the FBI, the training (including brutal boxing matches she had to have with men), and her approach to FBI work. Did she experience sexism in her career and struggles as a female in the FBI? Find out in this fascinating conversation. If you're interested in Mafia tales, organized crime, FBI crime busts, or any other matter of true crime stories.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Les Wexner, the founder of L Brands and former CEO of Victoria's Secrets, has come under scrutiny in the past year for his close association with the late billionaire pedophile "International Man of Mystery" Jeffrey Epstein. In some ways Wexner's association with the wealthy abuser can be considered the "Ohio Connection" to the sordid saga of Jeffrey Epstein. Lawyer, professor of political science, and maverick Columbus, Ohio-based journalist Dr. Robert Fitrakis joins, who has been investigating the Wexner/Epstein story since the 1990s, joins us to discuss this aspect of the Epstein scandal. Our resident Epstein correspondent in France, Marlon Ettinger, joined J.G. to co-host this episode. In this conversation we discuss: - Bob's background in journalism and how he got on the trail of the billionaire Les Wexner in Columbus, Ohio - How Epstein and Wexner met - The 1985 mob-style murder/hit carried out against Wexner's tax attorney Arthur Shapiro and "The Shapiro Murder File" - Wexner's connections to public corruption and organized crime in central Ohio - State of Ohio Inspector General David Sturtz, who went after Epstein and Wexner and referred to Epstein as Wexner's "boyfriend" - Wexner's ties to the scandalous Iran/Contra affair through the CIA-connected Southern Air Transport (SAT) - The Wexner Foundation's involvement in the selling of the Iraq War - Epstein and sexual blackmail operations; the large sums of money transferred from Wexner to Epstein; why Bob believes that Wexner is still worth looking into rather than someone who didn't know Epstein's true nature; the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell (does she have the goods?) and much, much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, was 9/11 preventable? Our guest on this September 11th anniversary edition of Parallax Views, Mark Rossini, who worked as the FBI's point man in the CIA's Bin Laden Unit (aka ALEC Station), makes the case it was in his piece "In Re: 9/11". As an FBI agent working in ALEC Station alongside fellow FBI agent Doug Miller, Mark became privy to the CIA's monitoring of two 9/11 hijackers, Flight 77's Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, and a "Terror Summit" in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia from January 5th-8th, 2000. Through their monitoring of these activities, the CIA discovered that the two future 9/11 terrorist had VISAs to the U.S. When Doug Miller wrote a report on the summit, however, the CIA told both he and Rossini not to send it to the FBI. For 19 years Mark Rossini has been troubled by the question of WHY the CIA did not share this vital bit of information with the CIA. His conclusions, which were independently corroborated by National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism Richard Clarke, is that elements of the CIA made a catastrophic decision after the Kuala Lumpur Summit that they kept under wraps to preserve their own careers and reputations. This decision, which Rossini makes a strong circumstantial case for having occurred, involved an illegal recruitment operation and Saudi Arabia's intelligence services aka the Mabahith. Rossini believes that, if this circumstantial case is true, then 9/11 may well have been preventable. And yes, this is the same Mark Rossini featured heavily in Lawrence Wright's book The Looming Tower and as a character in the TV series of the same name. PLEASE READ MARK ROSSINI'S ANALYSIS OF 9/11 https://undicisettembre.blogspot.com/p/mark-rossini-inre911.html In this conversation we discuss: - The FBI's John O'Neil, known as Bin Laden's arch-nemesis (who, after leaving the FBI shortly before 9/11 perished in the towers on that fateful day) and the conflicts between O'Neil and the CIA, specifically former BIn Laden Unit head honcho Michael Scheuer - The concept of "The Wall", which many believe led to botched communications before 9/11 between the FBI and CIA, and why Rossini believes "The Wall" isn't a sufficient explanation for the CIA's withholding information regarding the Malaysia terror summit from the FBI - The relationship between the CIA and Saudi Arabia's Mahabith; the special relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. - FBI agent Steve Bongardt and his angry email to Dina Corsi in July of 2001 regarding the CIA, FBI, and al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar; Bongardt wrote that, “Someday somebody will die—and, Wall or not, the public will not understand why we were not more effective.” - CIA Director George Tenet's comments pertaining to 9/11 - And much, much more. This Episode Brought to You By: The War State: The Cold War Origins of the Military-Industrial Complex and the Power Elite, 1945-1963 by Michael Swanson of The Wall Street Window

On this edition of Parallax Views, the multi-level marketing NXIVM has gained national infamy as the "Hollywood Sex Cult" that landed its founder Keith Raniere, Smallville actress Allison Mack, and others in prison on multiple counts related to horrifically abusive behaviors against its members. The sensational headlines, however, may not do justice to understanding the true depravity of Keith Raniere, known within the cult as "Vanguard", and the horror show of NXIVM. Joining us on this edition of the program to unravel the sordid story and provide insight into the mind of a cult leader is Keith Raniere's ex-girlfriend, the "Patient Zero" of NXIVM, Toni Natalie and journalist Chet Hardin, who has been one of the main journalists covering the cult. Together Natalie and Hardin have authored the new book The Program: Inside the Mind of Keith Raniere and The Rise and Fall of NXIVM. We discuss Toni's story from how she met Raniere through the company Consumers Byline Inc. to the gaslighting she experienced after crossing Raniere and finally bearing witness to the fall of NXIVM's founder at his trial. Chet fills us in on how he began reporting on NXIVM and his experiences with its members. Additionally, Chet notes that, while NXIVM may have connections to political campaigns of the Clinton family, Raniere and his cult's beliefs share a great deal in common with the right-wing ideologies espoused online by "incels" and "the red pill" in regards to women. Toni notes that the story of NXIVM is not over yet and that victims, like the late Kristin Snyder, still deserve justice. We close out the conversation by trying to offer some kind of light amidst all the darkness. NXIVM founders Keith Raniere and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) expert Nancy Salzman, known within the cult as "Vanguard" and "Prefect" The Smallville actress Allison was a particularly high-profile member of NXIVM and has admitted to coming up with the idea for the human branding of NXIVM members Sara and Clare Bronfman, heiresses to the immense wealth generated by the Seagram Company, were also high-profile figures associated with NXIVM THE PROGRAM: INSIDE THE MIND OF KEITH RANIERE AND THE RISE AND FALL OF NXIVM BY TONI NATALIE W/ CHET HARDIN AVAILABLE NOW FROM GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

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 The Parallax Views holiday series concludes with an exploration of Santa Claus's dark counterpart, Krampus. Although the figure of Krampus has become embedded in the popular consciousness in the last decade, especially since the release of the Hollywood horror-comedy Krampus, the folklore of the Krampus reaches much farther back and into the most isolated part of the European Alps. Joining us to unravel this history, and explain how remote parts of Europe still celebrate the winter season with rituals related to St. Nicholas and his dark companion Krampus, is Al Ridenour, a former member of the avant-provocateur Cacophony Society and author of The Krampus and the Old Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil (Feral House; 2016). We begin by discussing Al's involvement in the Cacophony Society, which once boasted the involvement of transgressive author extraordinaire Chuck Palahniuk, and it's most famous avant-garde provocation: SantaCon. From there we delve into how the winter season has always had a dark side within the popular imagination and discuss the popularity of Christmas horror movies with Al recommending 1980's unusual Christmas Evil and discussing Michael Dougherty's Krampus and whether it is true to the folklore. We then take a deep dive into the history of the lore around Krampus and how the figure is used in festive rituals during the month of December in the Alps of Europe like Gastein in Austria. What is the function of the Krampus? His relationship to St. Nicholas? Do these rituals have an erotic and courtship element? Is there subversive, anarchic element beyond to the Krampus beyond his being used to scare children into following social norms and rules? Who are the people behind the Krampus troupes and how do they approach these events? What's the connection the the gore theatre of the Grand Guignol and these Krampus events (known as a Krampus Run or Krampuslauf)? And what can we learn from it all? All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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 continue our holiday series by speaking with an actress from a Christmas movie classic. Well, maybe not a Christmas movie classic in the traditional sense but in a more unorthodox one. No, I'm not talking about Bonnie Bedelia from Die Hard. Instead I'm talking about Lynne Griffin, the Canadian actress who played the iconic-if-short-lived role of the doomed Claire in Bob Clarke's 1974 horror chiller Black Christmas. Since it's release all those decades ago, Black Christmas has inspired two remakes/reimaginings and a high-profile fan film called It's Me Billy from noted voice actor David McRae. It's also a movie that really predates and arguably helped insprie elements of later horror movies like Halloween and the lesser slasher films that would follow. With a few plot elements reminiscent to When a Stranger Calls, Black Christmas centers on a sorority house being menaced by an obscene phone caller who eventually takes to picking off each of the girls one by one. In addition to Lynne Griffin, the movie also featured the talents of Romeo and Juliet's Olivia Hussey, Superman's Margot Kidder, 2001: A Space Odyssey's Keir Dullea, and the veteran rugged character actor John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Enter the Dragon) as Police Lt. Ken Fuller. The film's director, Bob Clarke, would go on to make a more traditional holiday classic in the form of A Christmas Story as well as helming such features Porky's, Murder by Decree, and Turk 182 among others. Lynne joins us to talk not only about Black Christmas but also some of her other acting credits including the Rick Moranis comedy Strange Brew, the cult classic horror obscurity Curtains (which feels particularly relevant in the age of the MeToo movement), and April Mullen's criminally underrated 88 starring Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy Vs. Jason, American Mary) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Addams Family Values). All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views

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 We begin the Christmas week run of Parallax Views with by bringing back the original Parallax Views theme as a gift to long-time listeners and then talking with filmmaker Stefanie Davis, director and writer of the unorthodox holiday-themed mumblecore movie The Christmas Ride. For the uninitiated mumblecore is a genre of independent film popularized by filmmakers like Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas, Kissing on the Mouth), Mark and Jay Duplass (The Puffy Chair, Cyrus, Baghead) and Andre Bujalski that generally empashizes low-budget, dialogue over plot, naturalistic acting, and heavy use of improvisation over scripting. Filmed with an outline of scenarios rather than a traditional script and featuring performance that were improvised and directed by the use of color psychology through color palettes meant to guide the actors in terms of what emotions they'd be displaying in the scene, The Christmas Ride isn't you're traditional Hollywood blockbuster for the holidays season. However, while The Christmas Ride may not be the Tim Allen-starring The Santa Clause movies or in A Miracle on 34th Street in terms of it's mumblecore characteristics or micro-budget, it does a sincere meditation on holiday hardships and what the Christmas spirit is really all about where Hollywood's holiday blockbuster sometimes manage to miss the mark. The synopsis, courtesy Stefanie Davis herself, is as follows: Georgia is a hard working young woman. On Christmas Day, she decides to spend the day driving to make some extra cash. As she takes on various riders, she finds that not everyone has a very merry Christmas. Many are not with their families, experiencing loss, and just not in the spirit. As a self-aware woman, she takes on the hardship of her riders and tries her best to overcome the energy surrounding her. Strangers have a tendency to open up to her. Will the magic of Christmas be enough to keep Georgia's spirit alive? Stefanie joins us on this edition of the show to discuss how The Christmas Ride, now available for streaming on Amazon Prime, about as well as providing details on the highly improvisational approach she took while making it including the use of color psychology and scenario outlines rather than detailed scripts in order to create a more naturalistic tone. We also delve into Stefanie's relationship to Georgia, the film's protagonist who serves as the symbolic embodiment of the Christmas spirit and experiences a crisis of faith in regards to her own holiday cheer. We also delve into the theme of active listening and empathy that pervades the film and why it is so important in this year of the COVID pandemic and political. Moreover we discuss the film's exploration of expressing vulnerability in interpersonal relationships and why we made need to apply that in our real lives much more often. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Silicon Valley is often hailed as pushing the world towards a better, more prosperous future through a model creative destruction and brave technological innovation. Economics professor Rob Larson, however, offers a competing viewpoint to this rose-colored narrative of darlings of the tech world like Microsoft, Apple, and Google in his new book Bit Tyrants: The Political Economy of Silicon Valley (Haymarket Books, 2020). In many ways picking up where his previous book, Capitalism vs Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom (Zero Books, 2018), left off, Rob launches a scathing but thoughtful critique on libertarian-style techno utopianism and reveals the often ignored aspect that the public sector has played in important technological innovations. Additionally, Rob details the less savory elements of the Silicon Valley story and how historically the Silicon Valley's current position of power and the effect it has on society bears a resemblance to the Gilded Age. Rob joins us to give an overview of this fascinating new book and fills us in on how it connects to his previous book Capitalism vs Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom in the course of this fascinating conversation. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, legendary writer and filmmaker John Sayles joins us to discus his new novel Yellow Earth and other assorted topics of interest. For the uninitiated, John Sayles is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Golden Globe-nominated filmmaker whose social conscious cinematic credits include 1980's highly influential Return of the Secaucus 7, the critically-acclaimed 1987 coal miner union drama Matewan, 1991's City of Hope, 1992's award-winning Passion Fish, the star-studded 1996 neo-western mystery Lone Star, 1997's Men With Guns, and 2010's Philippine-American War period dram Amigo among others. Additionally, John is an accomplished short story writer and novelist whose books include Pride of the Bimbos (1975), Union Dues (1977), The Anarchists' Convention (1979), Los Gusanos (1991), and A Moment in the Sun (2011). John joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to discuss his latest novel Yellow Earth (2020; Haymarket Books), which details the volatile social changes that occur in a small town in the aftermath of a shale oil boom. A timely novel that deals with the subject of fracking, John tells us the basic plot of Yellow Earth as well giving some details on the issues that arise from fracking and the economic impacts of boom-and-bust cycles that effect people in his story as well as real life. John and I then discuss some biographical details of his life, including being raised in Schenectady, New York. We then talk about John's thoughts on film school and how gaining experiences outside of the film world is invaluable. Additionally John and I talk a little about his coal mine union drama Matewan, his involvement in the subversive world of Roger Corman "B-Movies", the monster movie he wrote called Alligator (1980), the Ayn Rand-inspired character in Yellow Earth and why Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is so attractive to some people, what keeps him from giving into cynicism, working with the legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler, and much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES! AND CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR: FAILED STATE UPDATE A NEW PODCAST FROM JOURNALIST JOSEPH FLATLEY

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, a listener recently requested that I interview Jasun Horsley, a writer who has been involved in parapolitical and alternative perceptions subculture for some time now. It turns out he has a new book out, 16 Maps of Hell: The Unraveling Superculture, so I thought this would be a good time to fulfill that request. In 16 Maps of Hell Jasun explores his obsessions with Hollywood over the years and his eventual disenchantment with it over the years. He also deals with ideas of cultural engineering and conspiracy in Hollywood. This leads him to examining the history of Hollywood and its dark side with a particular focus on Roman Polanski, the Manson Family, the Tate-LaBianca murders, the mobbed up lawyer Sidney Korhsak, Jeffrey Epstein, and other sordid goings on in tinsel town that he believes may relate to cultural psyops. We discuss the nature of this thesis, how Jasun questioned it after writing the book, Jasun's cinematic obsessions (including his love of Sam Peckinpah), conspiracy theories and scapegoating, Nikolas Schreck's work on the Charles Manson case, writing as therapy or psychodrama, and much, much more in this fascinating conversation. 16 Maps of Hell by Jasun Horsley Available Here