Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

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 Mattei Affair about a non-fictional, mysterious political assassination that may have involved the oil industry.

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.