Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, the ultra-conservative Catholic order Opus Dei has come under scrutiny due to the nomination of the devout Catholic Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after the passing Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Although Barrett is connected to similar order known as the People of Praise, Opus Dei has come up due to the connections of Attorney General Bill Barr and The Federalist Society's Leonard Leo, the latter of whom is a board members of the Opus Dei's Catholic Information Center and who played a role in getting Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch nominated into the Supreme Court under President Trump. Mint Press News journalist Raul Diego joins us on this edition of the program to details why this matters and how the Opus Dei is connected to covert operation like Operation Gladio and Operation Condor that are tie together the Vatican, the mafia, and intelligence agencies like the CIA as outlined in Raul's recent article "The Court of God: How a Catholic Secret Society Took Over SCOTUS". He even manages to discuss how this saga ties into the scandal-prone Deutsche Bank through the figure of Herman Abs. Incidentally, Deutsche Bank has come under scrutiny in recent weeks due to the leaked FinCEN files. Raul also give his take on what he considers the more insidious implications of the COVID crisis in regards to the potential of the crisis being exploited for the furtherance of the surveillance state society that has grown since the Bush era War on Terror after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In this regard I'm not sure that Raul and I are in complete agreement, but I do see the dangers of increased digital surveillance being normalize during the pandemic in a way that will not be reversed when it ends. Additionally, Raul and I also discuss his latest article "From British Israelism to the Miami Model: What’s Behind QAnon’s 2020 Resurgence?". Raul makes the case, much like Robbie Martin of Media Roots Radio, that QAnon is a sophisticated operation meant to stifle free speech in a "Strategy of Tension" that use's the phenomena's true believers as useful idiots. In other words, Raul believes that QAnon, which he ties into the bizarre antisemitic ideas of British Israelism (which is a belief that Anglo-Saxons are the true Jews and the real "Chosen People"), is a manufactured revolt designed by the very deep state it claims to oppose. And, as it turns out, figures like Richard Grenell, Former Acting Director of the United States National Intelligence, are boosting QAnon accounts on social media. In this regard Raul and I discuss the work of investigative journalist Gary Webb and how it created a fertile environment of independent journalists who threaten what has more or less been called "The Establishment". All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views! EDIT: Due to my busy schedule and how hard I've been working I made a rather ridiculous mistake in the outro... I called Raul Diego "Raul Julia"... yes, the famous actor. Oh well, bloopers are part of the fun. 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, Robbie Martin of Media Roots joins us to discuss his recent podcast series on the history of Freemasonry in America as well as his thoughts on the QAnon phenomena. In Robbie's estimation, QAnon seems to be a political, or perhaps even intelligence, operation. But to what end? Find out on this edition of Parallax Views! Among the topics covered: - Is the history of Freemasonry in the U.S. is more interesting than the sensationalist interpretations of Masonic figures like Alex Jones? Robbie thinks so! - Anti-Masonry and the Anti-Masonic Party in the U.S. and the disappearance of William Morgan; the Catholic Church Vs. Freemasonry - How the sensationalism around fraternal organizations and secret societies actually undermines the fact that such organizations can potentially create networks of privilege and preferential treatment - What is going on with QAnon? Is it a psyop? What effect will it have on the stifling of information on the internet? - 8chan whistleblower Frederick Brennan and 8chan owner Jim Watkins, who has been discussed as the pivotal figure in pushing QAnon. Is there more to it than Watkins? - How the concept of the "deep state" has been denigrated by QAnon's nonsense; the Grand Unified Conspiracy subculture under QAnon... QAnon's followers infiltrating everything from UFO subculture to the 9/11 Truth Movement - The damage that QAnon and figures like Alex Jones have had on skepticism of intellectual and academics critiques of government, imperialism, etc. - Figures like former CIA Bin Laden Unit head honcho Michael Scheuer and Tom Clancy ghostwriter/former State Department figure Steve Pieczenick; Bin Laden's niece, Noora Bin Laden, is a QAnon supporter? - QAnon after Trump has gotten COVID; belief of some QAnon supporters that Trump is faking illness to bring about "The Storm" and the arrest of Hillary Clinton; Q's posts, called "Q Drops" becoming lazier and more akin to your average electoral conspiracy theories rather than the more outlandish theories that QAno's WWG1WGA army has become used to devouring - Russiagate and QAnon; does QAnon strive off energy from Russiagate; the Israeli private intelligence firm Psy Group and its relationship to the Trump-Russia story; Trump aggressing Russia ahead of arms treaty expiring; Russian bounties story - The faux populism and the big money (or dark money) behind the American Right and Trumpism 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, sometimes it is necessary to examine the historical past to understand our present. For example, the current moment of rapidly increasing economic inequality that has colored the opening salvo of the 21st century appears to have a great deal in common with the "The Gilded Age" of the 19th and 20th centuries. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Michael Hiltzik, author of Iron Empires: Robbers Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America, joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to explain how the U.S. railroad pioneers, or robber barons as their critics called them, like Cornelius Vanderbilt, E.H. Harriman, and J.P. Morgan gave birth to America's "Gilded Age" and the ways in which figures like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg may be their 21st century equivalents in a "New Gilded Age". In addition to discuss this fascinating topic we also discuss, in the closing ten minutes of the program, Michael's thoughts on the state of journalism today. Among some of the issues covered in this conversation: - What was "The Gilded Age"? How figures like the American novelist Mark Twain criticized power during this era - How railroads were thought of in the 1800s; skepticism towards boosters of the railroad system back then (ie: being seen as a con job or a grift) and how, on the other hand, the railroads were seen as a technological marvel at the time; the Transcontinental railroad and it's significance; the "Golden Spike" - The "scoundrel" Daniel Drew and his role in the early history of the Iron Empires referred to in the title of Michael's book - The Union Pacific's Crédit Mobilier scandal involving railroad money's influencing of politics in D.C. through bribery - The Bradley-Martin Ball and the excesses of the super-wealthy in the late 1800's as society's less fortunate struggled - The role of the railroad barons in the economic crashes throughout the latter 1800s and before the Great Depression of the 1930s - The Great Man Theory of History and whether or not it is applicable in describing the railroad barons - The personality and beliefs of J.P. Morgan - The role that figures like Theodore Roosevelt and Eugene V. Debs had in combating the railroad barons and their excesses - The social changes brought upon by the railroad system including how it changed things for American women 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, we welcome a guest that has an inside track within the beltway. Namely, Ret. Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson. For the unfamiliar, Col. Wilkerson served as the Chief of Staff under Secretary of State Colin Powell during the George W. Bush administration. He also served 31 years in the U.S. army and teaches as an adjunct professor of government and public policy at the College of William & Mary. Since retiring from the military Wilkerson has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq War as well current U.S. foreign policy in other parts of the Middle East and around the world. Right now, he is working with the Transition Integrity Project, among other groups, to "War Game" possible scenarios in which the 2020 Presidential election doesn't end with a peaceful transition of power. Among the topics covered: - The Transition Integrity Project (TIP) and possible scenarios that could cause chaos in the immediate aftermath of the general election. Is Trump not allowing a peaceful transition of power just alarmism? What are the simulations, or what the press calls "War Games", done by the TIP and what insights can it give us about human decision making processes in relation to governance? - Col. Wilkerson mention Bill Barr's Christianity conservatism (or is it Christian Nationalism?) and groups like the conservative Catholic sect Opus Dei. What does it mean for U.S. governance? Thoughts on Steve Bannon, Hillsdale, and more - What is the relationship between the past and the Age of Trump present? What role do the Presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, etc. have in laying the groundwork for the Donald Trump White House. Predatory capitalism and the endless war state. - What to make of foreign policy under Trump? What is the state of foreign policy in the U.S. and relations with North Korea, Iran, Russia, etc. The Trump administration's "Maximum Pressure" campaign on Iran and the fallout it will likely create in our relationship with Iran. The ruination of agreements under Trump, the Venezuelan regime change efforts, and Trump's threatening of Russia. - President Barack Obama's foreign policy, Col. Wilkerson's telling experience with Obama, Obama and his National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes vs. the Washington, D.C. foreign policy "Blob" and the "D.C. Playbook"; the foreign policy consensus within the beltway and its pro-war bias - What is the extent of foreign influence on U.S. foreign policy, for example Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? The strange alliance between Christian Zionists and Israel; the belief in end-times prophecy that drives Christian Zionists like Pastor John Hagee - The relationship between Iran and the U.S.; why can't the U.S. and Iran have a non-hostile relationship?; the role of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other countries in the hostile relationship between Iran and the U.S.; influencing buying and money; is their any possibility of a non-hostile relationship with Iran in the future after Trump's dismantling of the Iranian nuclear deal?; Wilkerson's view, based on experience, that Iran is extremely rational and willing to work out a decent relationship - The New Cold War with China? Nuclear weapons and China; we are at a moment where science can identify and fix our problems... but if we don't take that opportunity it may spell our peril. 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, 2016 Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein is trending on social media after Ruth Bader Ginsberg's passing as many claim she acted as a "spoiler" against Hillary Clinton. As a result, they argue, Donald Trump will now be able to nominate another conservative Justice into the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Green Party continues to run the own Presidential campaign with Howie Hawkins and his Vice Presidential candidate Angela Walker. Walker joins us on this edition of the program to address criticisms of the Green Party and explain the policies she and Howie are pushing for, including an Ecosocialist New Deal, an end to the nuclear arms race, and a federal jobs guarantee. 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, we revisit the subject of Steve Bannon, who was recently arrested along with his business partners Andrew Badolato, Brian Kolfage, and Timothy Shea were arrested on charges related to fraudulent skullduggery in relation to their "We Build the Wall" campaign. In this conversation we turn away from the legal controversies to discuss the ideas that undergird Bannon's thinking. Many journalists, including previous Parallax Views guest Jean Guerrero, believe that Bannon is a bit of an empty shell intellectually. Which is to say that he is less an ideologue than a conman or a grifter. Our guest on this edition of the program, however, Prof. Benjamin R. Teiltelbaum, author of War for Eternity: Inside Bannon's Far-Right Circle of Global Power Brokers, argues otherwise. Teitelbaum makes the case that Bannon, who he conducted 21 hours of interviews with for the book, is influenced by a radical right-wing spiritual/political ideology known as Traditionalism. This would put Bannon in line with such strange thinkers today as Brazil's Olavo de Carvalho and Russia's Alexander Dugin, as well as past thinkers like the Perennialism Rene Guenon and the self-described "Super-Fascist" Julius Evola (who, during the WWII era criticized the Nazis from the RIGHT; in other words, he didn't see them as going far enough in their aims). These thinkers, says Teitelbaum, believe in a cyclical vision of history and time. They believe, he argues, that the Progressive vision of history has led us to a Dark Age, or what the Hindu faith knows as the Kali Yuga, and that, eventually, this age will overturned... either naturally or by force. Put country simple, the radical Traditionalists in War for Eternity are seeking a rollback of modernity. In addition to covering how all these thinkers connect with Bannon we also cover, briefly, how War for Eternity led Teitelbaum down a strange path investigating a private intelligence firm known as Jellyfish. One of the company's leaders, Michael Bagley, was interested in a project of building micro-cities for refugees, but was busted by the FBI after allegedly seeking to work with Mexican drug cartels like the Sinaloa cartel. Bagley and Jellyfish, which it should be noted was co-founded by a number of figures involved with Blackwater, it turns out had tie into the story of the "Alt Right" and attempts to start something called "Alt Right Corporation" with far-right personalities Richard Spencer, Daniel Frieberg, Henrik Palmgren of Red Ice, and Jason Reza Jorjani. Jorjani, who was seeking to influence the Trump administration to form alliances with Iranian ultra-nationalists, came to believe that Jellyfish was part of an intelligence operation. One of Teitelbaum's anti-fascist sources, it turns out, was also spooked by some things he found out about Jellyfish. With that in mind is there more to this story than Jorjani potentially having sour grapes? Teitelbaum weighs in on this matter later on in the conversation. 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, much has been made of the scandal-ridden Presidency of Donald Trump. But how deep does the rabbit hole go and do the sordid saga of Donald Trump have a prequel in the form of his time as celebrity businessman? For 30 years, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston of the DCReport (and author of the books The Making of Donald Trump and It's Even Worse Than You Think has been on what could be called the "Trump Beat". He joins us on this edition of the show to discuss the whole saga of Donald Trump including: - David's penchant for covering stories that challenge the powerful; from exposing tax cheaters to taking on the LAPD - How David first met Donald Trump while covering casinos in Atlantic City and his impression that Donald was a "P.T. Barnum" character - Trump's relationship to Iran/Contra arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi - Trump's ties to organized crime families, including the Gambino Crime Family and Genovese Crime family, and dealings with the mob - A story that indicates Trump protected a drug trafficker, Joseph Weichselbaum, who worked at Trump's Atlantic City casinos. Johnston maintains that this story connects Trump to the international cocaine trade - Trump's "Outsider" status among elites in terms of cultural and social practices - The financial chicanery of Donald Trump - Donald Trump's awkwardness and how it has repelled people over the years including women he took on dates; his inappropriate comments about his daughter Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump - Trump as a "cash extractor" rather than a businessman - Trump's forebears, including his grandfather Frederick Trump and his father Fred Trump, and the skeletons in their closet - David's thoughts on Trump supporters and how Trump takes advantage of them; David argues Trump took the economic ideas of his campaign from his work. - David's thoughts on tax issues and rising economic inequality in this country 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, Playboy's White House correspondent Brian Karem recently pressed President Trump at a White House briefing if he'd accept a peaceful transition of power on the chance that he is defeated by his Democratic Party challenger Joe Biden. Trump, refused to give a clear answer as concerns grows that sitting President in the White House will not accept the results of the November election if they are not in his favor. Hence why voices like the Transition Integrity Team, composed of both Republicans and Democrats, have arose with concerns that Trump will not leave office peaceful. Such concerns have grown louder thanks to the passing of Superem Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump has already made controversial appointments to the federal appellates courts during his time in office and Trump, with the help of Mitch McConnell, is seeking to nominate a new judge to the Supreme Court before the election. Meanwhile, Attorney General Bill Barr is accusing protesters of "sedition" and Trump supporters like Steve Bannon are arguing that mail-in ballots during the coronavirus crisis are a voter fraud plot designed by the "deep state" to steal the election from Trump. But is it the other way around: Is Trump planning a "legal coup d'état" to steal the election? Dr. Jack Rasmus, political economist, author of The Neoliberal Scourge: U.S. Economic Policy from Reagan to Trump, and host of the Alternative Visions radio show on the Progressive Radio Network, joins us to assess the current situation. Dr. Jack's most recent articles, cover in this conversation, are "A Most Dire Warning" and "Ginsburg’s Death & Trump’s Emerging Legal Coup D’état". 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

From Today's Double Feature Episode - Charles Hugh Smith on Deutsche Bank's "Age of Disorder" Report (Request Was Made to Break the Episode Into Two Parts; I'm Happy to Oblige) Charles Hugh Smith of the Of Two Minds blog, which ranked at #7 on CNBC's list of the top alternative financial websites, and author of A Hacker's Teleology: Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet joins us to discuss a Deutsche Bank report by Jim Reid warning of a forthcoming "Age of Disorder" that will disrupt and reverse the trends of globalization over the past few decades. For the unfamiliar, Deutsche Bank, which has come under scrutiny in recent years due to it's relationship with President Donald Trump, is the #17th largest bank in the entire world. As such it is important to understand this report and what it is saying. Charles fills us in and also discusses how this report ties into the generational cycles theory of historian Peter Turchen and Nicholas Nassim Taleb's thinking about fragility and anti-fragility. Charles believes we are living in what could more accurately, in his estimation, be called an "Age of Uncertainty" and details how we reached this point of grotesque economic inequality where the top 0.01% own more than the bottom 80%. Can we move in a different direction? Charles thinks so, but not through past ideologies that were popular in the 20th century.

From Today's Double Feature Episode - Scott Stedman and Sophie Pierce on OnlyFans Skullduggery (Request Was Made to Break the Episode Into Two Parts; I'm Happy to Oblige) Journalists Scott Stedman and Sophie Pierce of Forensic News join us to discuss their recent work detailing allegations of fraud, theft, and other corruption by the newly popular modeling website OnlyFans and its mysterious owner Leonid Radvinsky. Sophie and Scott wrote a collaborative article "OnlyFans Faces Allegations of Fraud, Theft" that was published at Forensic News last month. Sophie, who is completing her Senior year at Seattle University while writing for Forensic News, explains how popular OnlyFans is amongst Generation Z and relates her experiences of interviewing OnlyFans models and users. Additionally, she shares a fascinating story about the strange data insecurity she expierenced courtesy of OnlyFans when she created a profile on the website as part of her investigation of it. Scott fills us in the OnlyFans enigmatic owner, Leonid Radvinsky, and the multiple lawsuits and scandals he has been embroiled in over the years. In fact, one OnlyFans content creators has argued that Radvinsky has been involved in shady activities involving drugs and Scott, although not jumping to conclusions, believe there is much more to Radvinsky, who has deftly avoided media attention, than meets the eye.