Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, in the first segment of the show Mike Swanson of Wall Street Window returns to discuss the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the bigger picture when it comes to the state of the U.S. economy. What is the story of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse and the Federal Reserve's intervention in the aftermath? Is this another bailout like we saw with the 2008 financial crisis? Additionally, Mike and I discuss the ongoing issues with inflation (which Mike considers a bigger issue than the issue than the SVB collapse); Elon Musk, tech bro. triumphalism, ChatGPT and AI, tech startups, tech billionaires and hyping stocks, Facebook and Meta, and the potential false promises of techno-utopianism; troubles being faced by smaller regional banks and the crisis that could cause; is society producing too much capital in a way that is causing crises?; reflecting on the dotcom bubble in relation to the hype around tech today; the Fed's unprecedented response to SVB; SVB is being allowed to fail; Branko Marcetic's Jacobin article "Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse Shows Little Has Changed for Big Banks Since 2008"; low-interest rate policies, Quantitative Easing, stock market bubbles, and SVB; SVB, financial recklessness, and poor-decision making; the odds are increasing of recession; the Fed has become a reactive entity; and much, much more! On this edition of Parallax Views, Mickey Huff, director of the media watchdog group Project Censored, returns to the program to discuss the new book Project Censored's State of the Free Press 2023. We'll be discussing the problems facing the American public with regards to media literacy as well as the problems with the billionaire-owned corporate media and the challenged faced by big tech and surveillance capitalism. During the course of our discussion we discuss news some of Project Censored's Top 25 Censored News Stories of the year including NATO's plans for "cognitive warfare", the repression of Palestinian media, and the neo-Nazi leader that now holds a DOJ Domestic Counterterrorism position. Additionally, Mickey and I discuss the hot topic issue of disinformation with a focus on the emerging term "malinformation" and the potential problems with it's sometimes loosely defined definition. We also discuss the importance of alternative media and hit ongoing issues like the Twitter Files, Wikileaks and Julian Assange, and how Russia and countries adversarial to the U.S. have a propaganda problem but that doesn't mean we shouldn't ignore the problems of corporate dominance and propaganda in the American media. We also delve into how the Nation Endowment for Democracy-funded Media Defence has pushed a definition of "malinformation" stating that it is information "based on reality but is used to inflict harm on a person, organisation or country." In this regard we ponder whether Daniel Ellsberg's Pentagon Papers would be considered "malinformation" by the U.S. even if it was done in the public interest. Mickey explains how digital suppression of the news has become a growing issue in the 21st century. He argues big tech companies can provide the means for Orwellian forms of controlling news and narratives in media the stifle discourse and debate. Other issues covered include a critique of the Steele Dossier and the British private intelligence firm that produced it (Orbis), potential problems facing alternative media going forward (such as it becoming infotainment in the way that much corporate media has become infotainment or junk food news), and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, an in-depth conversation with Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967 on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the recent wave of settler violence against the West Bank village of Huwara. In this episode, we delve into the challenges faced by Palestinians living under occupation and examine the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli government and its settler population. From illegal settlements and land confiscation to checkpoints and restrictions on movement, Albanese provides a comprehensive overview of the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. We also explore the recent violence in Huwara, where Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents and vandalized their homes and property. In this regard, she also mentions Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for Huwara to be "wiped out". Albanese offers her insights into the underlying causes of this violence and discusses the role of the Israeli government in perpetuating such attacks. In addition to discussing the Israeli occupation and recent violence, this episode of Parallax Views also covers a wide range of other important topics related to the conflict. Albanese sheds light on the issue of Palestinian self-determination and the obstacles faced by Palestinians in their struggle for independence. We also explore the need for a paradigm shift in the international community's discourse around the occupation. Albanese argues that the current approach to the conflict is flawed and needs to be reevaluated. The episode also delves into Israel's lack of cooperation with Francesca Albanese and previous UN Special Rapporteurs on the issue of the occupation. Despite their mandate to investigate human rights violations in the occupied territories, the Israeli government has repeatedly refused to grant them access to the region. Moreover, the conversation tackles the weaponization of antisemitism to shut down criticism of the occupation. Albanese explains how accusations of antisemitism are often used to silence those who speak out against Israeli policies. To provide context, the episode includes a brief history of the occupation, from the 1967 Six-Day War to the present day. She discusses issues such as territorial fragmentation in Palestine, the crime of apartheid and the need to go beyond just the apartheid discourse/framework, exploitation of Palestinian natural resources, and how the occupation is preventing political existence (and resistance) of Palestinians, Albanese also highlights the significance of international law and human rights in understanding the occupation.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Estee Chandler, co-host of KPFK's Middle East in Focus alongside Nagwa Ibrahim and a key organizer in the pro-Palestinian social justice organization Jewish Voice for Peace, joins us to discuss the controversial, right-wing Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich's comments calling for the Palestinian village of Huwara in the occupied West Bank to be "wiped out". Smotrich made the comments shortly after Israeli settlers laid waste to the village reportedly burning down houses and cars in a rampage last week. “I think that Huwara needs to be wiped out," remarked Smotrich at a March 1st, 2023 conference of the Israeli business newspaper TheMarker, "but the State of Israel needs to do it, most certainly not private citizens." In response to Smotrich's comments, the activist group Jewish Voice for Peace released an action statement calling the comments genocidal and urging the administration of President Joe Biden to respond by barring Smotrich from entry to the U.S. and ending unconditional military funding and support to Israel. Although the U.S., through the voice of State Department Spokesman Ned Price, has in no uncertain terms referred to Smotrich's comments as "repugnant", "disgusting", and "irresponsible", JVP argues that the Biden administration must take action beyond what they describe as "hollow words of condemnation". Smotrich is scheduled to be in the United State on Sunday for an Israel Bonds conference in Washington, D.C. The Biden administration was reportedly considering denying Smotrich a visa, but the State Department has since granted a diplomatic visa for the controversial political figure. Smotrich has gone on to apologize to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for his remarks while simultaneously claiming the media distorted and manipulated his comments. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Smotrich's statements "inappropriate", before appearing to accept that Smotich had unfortunately misspoken and then going on to accuse both the Palestinian Authority and the international community of being lax on Palestinian violence and terrorism. The latter comments concerning the international community come on the heels of UN rights chief Volker Turk referring to Smotrich's so-called so-called "emotional slip of the tongue" as "an unfathomable statement of incitement to violence and hostility" at a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva Meanwhile, Smotrich's extreme statements about Huwara have sparked something of an uproar in the American Jewish community, and not just amongst activists associated with the explicitly anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace. For instance, the Israel Policy Forum, an organization oriented towards the goal of a negotiated two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, released a statement signed by a plethora of American Jewish Community leaders not only condemning Smotrich's Huwara outburst but explicitly saying that Smotrich and his views should not be welcomed by the American Jewish community. Signatories included J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami, former Chairman of the Board of the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy Lawrence B. Benenson, former Executive Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Commitee (AIPAC), Thomas A. Dine, George W. Bush-era Under Secretary of Defense and Atlantic Council board of directors member Dov S. Zakheim, former AIPAC President Steven Grossman, former Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham H. Foxman, Square One Foundation President and Obama-appointee to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council Priscilla Kersten, National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz, Jewish Democratic Council board member and former AIPAC board member Ada Horwich, 8 time Academy Award-winning film producer Lawrence Bender, and many others. Additionally, the Progressive Israel Network has released a statement signed by 77 Jewish American organizations pledging to shun Smotrich during his planned visit to the U.S. Amongst the Arab nations, Smotrich has also received pushback and condemnation, even amongst state involved with the Abraham Accords or nominally less hostile relations with Israel. The Ministry of Foreign Affair in Saudi Arabia, for example, called Smotrich's remarks "racist" and "irresponsible" as well as claiming that they "reflect the amount of violence and extremist practiced by the occupying Israeli entity towards the brotherly Palestinian people." Fellow Persian Gulf nations Qatar and the United Arab Emirate (UAE) have likewise made strongly worded condemnations. Beyond those GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council States), Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Smotrich's comments are an "unacceptable and serious incitement for violence" that "contradict laws, norms, and moral values." In this episode, Estee and I discuss not only Smotrich's disturbing response to the Israeli settler violence in Huwara and JVP's stance on how the Biden administration should've have responded to it, but a number of other issues as well including: - JVP's opposition to Zionism; the history of Zionism and the Occupied Palestinian Territories - The question of apartheid in relation to discussions of international law and Israel/Palestine - Estee's background as a Jewish woman with Israeli family and her personal awakening on Israel/Palestine - The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) Movement and free speech - Jewish Voice for Peace and the role Jewish people can play in Palestinian human rights activism - Antisemitism and the controversy over the IHRA definition of antisemitism - Settler-colonialism and Israel/Palestine - Is the new Netanyahu government, with figures like Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in key ministerial position, a signal of a particularly dangerous moment in Israel/Palestine? - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, David C. Hendrickson, president of the John Quincy Adams Society and professor emeritus of political science at Colorado College, joins us to discuss his book Freedom, Independence, Peace: John Quincy Adams and American Foreign Policy. This conversation explores the fascinating life and lasting impact of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States and a pivotal figure in American diplomacy. Hendrickson delves into Adams' visionary approach to foreign policy, which centered around principles of freedom, independence, and peace. He examines Adams' views on American exceptionalism, democracy, and the dangers of interventionism, and draws parallels between Adams' ideas and contemporary foreign policy challenges like the War on Terror and the Ukraine/Russia conflict. Hendrickson argues for Adams' legacy and how his ideas can inform American foreign policy today. He makes the case that by embracing Adams' vision, the United States can navigate the complexities of the global landscape more effectively and promote peace and prosperity around the world. Among the topics discussed on this edition of the show: - John Quincy Adams' 1821 Independence Day speech h to the U.S. House of Representatives on Foreign Policy warning against an adventurist foreign policy wherein America would go abroad "in search of monsters to destroy" - The appropriation of John Quincy Adams by neocons during the Iraq War; the expansionist John Quincy Adams and the anti-expansionist John Quincy Adams  John Quincy Adams, the Monroe Doctrine, American exceptionalism, Empire, and imperialism - John Quincy Adams and foundational principles: Power, Law, Independence, Peace, Liberty, and Union - Thoughts on the use of the term "Isolationist" as a pejorative slung at foreign policy restraint advocates - Hendrickson's perspective on Russia/Ukraine war, NATO, and Crimea - The debate over "spheres of influence" discourse in U.S. foreign policy and international relations - The War on Terror of the Bush years and military adventurism as a detriment to civil liberties on at home - Hendrickson's early dabbling in neoconservatism; his later turn against that line of thought and skepticism towards U.S. military interventionism; his 2018 book Republic in Peril: American Empire and the Liberal Tradition - The possibility of international cooperation on issues like climate change - Addressing the thought of Samantha Power and R2P (Responsibility to Protect Doctrine); the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya and its consequences; regime change and states of chaos/anarchy - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Ilya Budtraitskis, a Russian leftist historian, activist, and author of Dissident Among Dissidents: Ideology, Politics, and the Left in Post-Soviet Russia, returns to discuss Vladimir Putin's crackdown on the antiwar movement in Russia. Budraitskis provides insights into the recent arrests and harassment of activists and intellectuals who oppose Russia's military actions in Ukraine. The discussion delves into the complexities of Russian politics and society, and how Putin's government has affected dissenting voices. Budraitskis also shares his thoughts on the role of the West in Russia's political landscape. Throughout the conversation, J.G. and Budraitskis examine the broader implications of Putin's crackdown, including the impact on civil liberties, free speech, and democracy in Russia. Moreover, Budtraiskis gives his thoughts on Russian polls, including a recent one from the Levada Center (a Russian independent NGO is not affiliated with and even considered a hostile entity by the Russian state and Kremlin) indicating that most Russian support Putin's war efforts. Budtraitskis offers reasons why these polls may be inaccurate, chiefly because many Russian views any polls as a state of loyalty to Putin and the Russian state. He makes the case that culture of paranoia is currently pervading Russia. Also covered in the course of the conversation: - Budtraitskis' assessment of the Russia/Ukraine war in light of its first year anniversary. - Budtraitskis analyzes Putin and Russian media's rhetoric about the war and Putin's motivations. He argues that Russia is fighting without a clear objective and are less interested in winning the war than "not losing the war" (Budtraitskis explains what he means by this in more detail). - Assessing Western liberal and left-wing views about the war - The Russian states crackdowns on antifascist activists and the LGBTQ+ - And more! Mentioned in this episode: "Remember the Russians Who Fought Against Putin’s War" by Ilya Budtraitskis (1/22/23)

On this edition of Parallax Views, Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, an emergency physician turned global population doctor, joins us to discuss his book Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19's Health Lessons for the World. Dr. Stephen Bezruchka's new book, "Inequality Kills Us All," tackles a pressing issue in the United States: poor health in the United States and it's relationship to inequality. In this episode, we discuss the book's key points, including how living in a society with entrenched hierarchies worsens the effects of diseases for everyone. Dr. Bezruchka book emphasizes the importance of addressing this problem by raising awareness and implementing policies that promote fairness, such as a fair taxation system, support for child well-being, universal healthcare, and a guaranteed income. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in public health and the impact of inequality on health outcomes. Tune in to learn more and discover how we can create a fairer and healthier society. Topics covered in this episode: - Dr. Bezruchka explains the concept of the "Health Olympics" and how health outcomes seem to differ by country and culture. - We discuss the ideas of "structural violence" and "social murder" and how they point towards the systemic ways in which economic structures and conditions like poverty effect health outcomes. - Dr. Bezruchka discusses how personal behaviors matter less to public health outcomes than we often assume they do and the social factors that effect our health. - The effect of stress and social atomization/isolation on people's health - America Vs. Japan: even though almost half the Japanese male population smokes cigarettes they live longer than their American male counterparts despite the fact that less men smoke cigarettes in America. Why is this and what does it tell us about health outcomes by population and social factors contributing to those outcomes? - The importance of social relationships to good health outcomes - How "an early life lasts a lifetime" in terms of health outcomes; child well-being's importance to health outcomes; studies on secure attachment to one's parents and what they tell us health outcomes and mortality rates - An analysis of the pandemic and the lessons that can be learned from it; income inequality and mortality rates of COVID; COVID and low birth rate babies - Social policies of Sweden vs. the U.S. in relation to maternity leave, child daycare, etc. and what they can tell us about approaches to public health - Taxation, redistribution of wealth, and public health; looking at the policies of FDR and the New Deal - Poorer people have poorer health, but this is not necessarily due simply to personal failings - African-American health outcomes, racism, and studies on intergenerational transmission of health from the era of slavery in the United States - How a more cooperative culture would help all of us, rich and poor, with our health outcomes; health outcomes of billionaires; the selling point of decreasing inequality; the connection between mental health and physical health - How political choices effect our health; why is Hawaii the U.S. state where citizens are reported to live the longest of anywhere in the country and how does it potentially relate to the social determinants of health? - Universal healthcare, Medicare-4-All, and single-payer healthcare; primary care, as opposed to specialist care, as the most important and effective part of healthcare; the need to spend money on policies that would benefit early-life care; what the U.S. can learn from other countries - Surveillance capitalism and the havoc it is wreaking on our health - Dr. Bezruchka addresses conservatives and libertarians who may disagree with the perspective he has on inequality and health outcomes - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Emma L. Briant, a fellow at Bard College who specializes in research on propaganda and disinformation campaigns, joins us to discuss the developing story of Team Jorge, a group of private Israeli contractors set-up by a former Israeli special forces operator and businessman Tal Hanan (code name: "Jorge"), and it's significance to the problem of the influencer-industrial complex and mercenary private firms engaged in election meddling/hacking (specifically countries in the Global South like Kenya and Nigeria), sabotage, and disinformation campaigns. The conversation also leads us to a broader discussion of the multitude of private firms filled with ex-military and ex-intelligence officials that are engaged in acts of subterfuge that are arguably destabilizing democracies around the world for profit. Among the topics discussed in this conversation: - The Iraq War and the origins of Dr. Briant's research - Malign cyber-activities, national security, digital propaganda, technology, fake news, and social media disinformation campaigns - How the Defense industry ties into the problem of the influencer-industrial complex and mercenary private firms; private firms and the Pentagon; failure of Western government to address these problems - Why private firms like Black Cube, Team Jorge, and Psy-Group originate in Israel; the Israeli cybersecurity industry; tactics that were used against Palestinians now being used abroad by private firms; lack of oversight of private intelligence/security firms in Israel; the revolving door/escalator between the public sector and private sector - Cambridge Analytica - The hidden architecture behind the global industry peddling disinformation and propaganda - The digital influence industry and digital influence mercenaries - The need for regulation and oversight - Private firms working for dictators and authoritarian leaders - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we discuss the latest violence in Israel/Palestine. On February 23, 2023 the Israeli conducted a fatal raid in the Palestinian city of Nablus. The raid is reported to have resulted in the 11 deaths and 102 injuries. In retaliation, a Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli settler outside of the Palestinian village Huwara on February 26, 2023. Israeli settlers responded with vigilante violence, described as a rampage in the Washington Post and Times of Israel, in Huwara that saw the burning of houses, cars, and casualties. Tikun Olam's Richard Silverstein returns to discuss these events, with a focus on the settler violence in Huwara, as explored in his recent Middle East Eye article "Israel: Settler terrorism is now the law". Among the topics covered in this conversation: - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel senior ministerial figures Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the dehumanization of Palestinians by the Israel's far-right, and the Israeli political figures who have said that Huwara must be "erased" - The case of Jonathan Pollack, a pro-Palestinian Israeli who was arrested by the Israeli government; the Israeli right's clampdown on Israeli leftists - The Israel Lobby (AIPAC or the American-Public Affairs Commitee) and the discourse in the U.S. around Israel/Palestine - How the Democratic Party in the U.S. approaches the subject of Israel/Palestine; the international communities approach to Israel with a focus on the UN (United Nations) - The violence in Huwara and "peering into the heart of darkness" -Journalist Josh Breiner of Israeli's Haaretz paper and his experience of reporting the Huwara settler violence; Breiner was shot at - The history of the Israeli settlers in the West Bank going back to 1967; settlements have been encouraged by the state of Israel - Can the rampage in Huwara be described as a "pogrom"? - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Stefania Maurizi, an investigative journalist reporting for Italy's Il Fatto Quotidiano who has dedicated a large portion of her career to covering Julian Assange and Wikileaks, joins us to discuss her book Secret Power: Wikileaks and Its Enemies. The book details how Wikileaks related to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the War on Terror, diplomatic cables, the War on Terror, CIA cyberweapons, and more as well as the story of Julian Assange and his eventual imprisonment at Belmarsh Prison. In this conversation Stefania and I discussed: - How Wikileaks first came under Stefania's journalistic radar in 2008 - Cryptography, protected communications, and journalistic source protection in the age of mass surveillance; PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encryption - Wikileaks publication of a manual relevant to the question of torture at the U.S.'s Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp during the War on Terror; the Pentagon vs. Wikileaks - Stefania's first contact with Julian Assange - The Wikileaks documents on Julius Baer, a Swiss bank alleged to have been involved in money laundering activities; how big financial institutions try to pressure news and media - Wikileaks and the Vault 7 documents about CIA cyberweapons; these documents detailed how the CIA was using software vulnerabilities to access smart TV, cars, phones, etc.; the CIA, Weeping Angel, and the hacking of TVs; a bit of the inside story of how Stefania covered the Vault 7 story, the fears she had covering the story, and the cautions she took while reporting on it; Mike Pompeo and the CIA's response to the Vault 7 documents; the alleged leaker of the Vault 7 documents, Joshua Schulte - Wikileaks and the public interest - Stefania discusses the Julian Assange she knows based on her years of experience with him - Stefania addresses the criticisms of Julian Assange and Wikileaks; the accusation that Wikileaks put lives in danger through its leaks; the rape allegations against Assange; accusations of Assange and Wikileaks being in bed with Russian and Donald Trump - State criminality, war crimes, and the persecution of whistleblowers - Stefania discusses her response to people that ask her if "Assange will be killed"; she argues in many ways Assange has already been "killed" in terms of the deterioration of his mental and physical well-being during his imprisonment - Wikileaks, democracy, and the freedom of the press - Assange, Chelsea Manning, the FBI informant Siggi hakkari (aka Siggi the Hacker aka Sigurdur Ingi Thordarson), and the password cracking/hacking charges against Assange - What Stefania sees as the stakes of the Julian Assange extradition case; the CIA and extraordinary rendition; Stefania's belief that Assange has no change of a fair trial in the U.S. and that his extradition would open a Pandora's box that'd have a chilling effect on freedom of the press in the U.S. and other countries as well as - Comparing and contrasting the Assange case to that of Daniel Ellsberg, who famously leaked the Vietnam War-era Pentagon Papers and was targeted by the Richard Nixon administration - The story of how Assange was targeted by the late, deep pocketed GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson's security firm UC Global; the investigation in Spain regarding UC Global - Stefania's story of being spied on and targeted while covering Julian Assange and Wikileaks; The Crown Prosecution Service and the destruction of crucial documents on the Julian Assange case - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, David Isenberg, a long time independent researcher into the subject of PMCs (private military companies) and PMSCs (private military and security companies) and bloggers at the Isenberg Institute of Strategic Satire, joins us to discuss his article "The Rise and Fall of the Mozart Group". The Mozart Group was founded amidst the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by two former U.S. Marine colonels, Andrew Milburn, at one time the Deputy Commander of Special Operations Command Central, and Andrew Bain, who since leaving the military has become a Ukraine-based businessman. Composed of Western military veterans, the Mozart Group sought to assist in efforts during the war by serving as a private military company that offered military training and evacuations. Named in part as a cheeky reference to Russia's infamous Wagner Group, the Mozart Group, in Isenberg's word, "positioned itself as the reverse, good-guy version" of said group (though, as Isenberg notes in the beginning of our conversation the Wagner Group and the Mozart Group are different in terms of the actions they take and should not be considered simple Western Vs. Russian versions of each other). Although the Mozart Group garnered a great deal of positive press in the past year as a humanitarian group helping Ukraine, it has since shuttered it's operation amidst a thorny lawsuit between co-founders Bain and Milburn. In said lawsuit, Milburn has been accused of misrepresenting the Mozart Group as a non-profit, 501(c)3 charity to journalists despite it being registered as a for-profit LLC. (limited liability company) business. The complex lawsuit also includes complaints Milburn soliciting for donations/funding that went into Milburn's personal or other accounts rather than the Mozart Group. Another issue that comes up with regards to the lawsuit is Milburn hiring a Ukrainian woman he met on a dating app to work for the Mozart Group and paying her a $90,000 annual salary that far exceeded that of other Ukrainian-based employees. On the other hand, Milburn-supporter Jeffrey Carr of the Inside Cyber Warfare Substack, recently accused Andrew Bain of having ties to Russia and the Taliban as well as war profiteering. In this conversation, Isenberg offers his thougths on both the lawsuit against Milburn as well as his thoughts on the accusations Carr made against Andrew Bain. Isenberg also discusses some juicy details that he can't discuss in-too-much detail at this time that did not make it into the article and indicate that the Mozart Group was seeking to move away from its specific work in regards in Ukraine and becoming a more broadly-focused private military company. We'll also discuss more broadly the problems/issues surrounding private military companies; lack of regulation/oversight in regards to PMCs; Star Trek and the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition No. 34: “War is good for business"; Erik Prince, Blackwater, and the Iraq War; the Mozart Group vs. the Wagner Group; war profiteering; the problem with mixing charity work and military functions together under one roof; why David doesn't use the term "mercenaries" when talking about PMCs; should Ukraine be concerned about working with PMCs?; was Bain trying to expand the Mozart Group into working in other regions where their services weren't wanted?; and more!