Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

Are we living on a Gangster Planet? That's the explosively provocative but intriguing claim investigative reporter Daniel Hopsicker has made for almost two decades since he began delving into the wild story of Medellin Cartel drug smuggler Barry Seal. But Hopsicker say Barry Seal, who recently became the subject of the major motion picture American Made starring Tom Cruise, is only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, it took him down many rabbit holes from the Venice, FL flight school where 9/11 hijackers like Mohammad Atta trained to the underworld of the Russian mafia. It's also led him to dig into an assorted rogue's gallery of infamous figures like international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, the Russian mob's "Boss of Bosses" Semion Mogilevich, billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and even the President Donald Trump. Roberto Saviano, a critically acclaimed essayist and reporter whose exposés of organized crime and the international drug trade has placed his life in jeopardy, famously proclaimed, "Look at Cocaine and All You See Is Powder. Look Through Cocaine and You See the World." "Here it is, laid bare: cartel as corporation, corporation as cartel; cocaine as pure capitalism," write Ed Vulliamy of Saviano's ZeroZeroZero, "Here it is, laid bare: cartel as corporation, corporation as cartel; cocaine as pure capitalism." Hopsicker shares alot in common with Saviano, albeit trading in the Italian reporter's continental literary stylings for his own fittingly hard-boiled approach. In any case, both Hopsicker and Saviano scrutinize the lucrative business of what has come to be known as "Narco-Capitalism". And given the amount of money the illicit drug trade makes within the global economy it's an apropos portmanteau. Together, Daniel and I weave through the labyrinth of his reporting on what he dubs "transnational organized crime" and it's intersection with politics and business. Along the way Daniel gives his take the late Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance" series covering the alleged connection between Iran/Contra and LA's crack-cocaine epidemic, the notoriously controversial ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon, and, near the end of our conversation, even offers a compellingly probable contender for who the "Q" is behind the madness of QAnon. Links: "CONTAINER SHIP CRIME WAVE!" by Daniel Hopsicker "The Jeffrey Epstein Social Network & The Container Ship Crime Wave" by Daniel Hopsicker "The Jeffrey Epstein Social Network Mega Meta Scandal" by Daniel Hopsicker Daniel Hopsicker on Youtube Daniel Hopsicker on Twitter The Narco News Bulletin Journalist Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance" Series from the San Jose Mercury News (PDF) Gary Webb: In His Own Words (Video) Gary Webb on C-Span's Washington Journal (Video) Adnan Khashoggi (Wikispooks) Barry Seal (Wikispooks) Roberto Saviano (Wikipedia) Check Out Daniel Hopsicker's Work at MadCowProd.Com  

Questioning Authority... Now And... Then On this edition of Parallax Views, the them is questioning authority with two guests who highlight resistance in both the present and our historical past. First up, investigative reporter Arun Gupta, founding editor of The Indypendent, joins us to talk about his work organizing the No More Concentration Camps movement. Firecracker congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez caused a stir recently by referring to ICE detention centers for migrants and refuges as concentration camps. Some pundits have decried AOC's statements as a bridge to far and argue the concentration camp characterization is irresponsible. Arun Gupta, however, agrees with AOC's take and joins us to explain why in this pertinent conversation. Paul Krassner April 19, 1932 - July 21, 2019 Next up, Joseph E. Green, a contributing writer at Garrison: The Journal of History and Deep Politics, joins us to celebrate the life and times of investigative satirist, Yippie activist, and all-around counterculture icon Paul Krassner. A consummate rebel and subversive humorist who proved a thorn in the side of the establishment thanks in part to his groundbreaking underground press 'zine The Realist, Paul Krassner passed away at the age of 87 in late July of this year. Alongside Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, Krassner helped found the Youth International Party, or Yippies, who pranked on right-wing authoritarians throughout the turbulent times of the Vietnam war. Green, who currently publishes his own underground zines through Microcosm Publishing, was heavily influenced by Krassner's work and helps us celebrate the legacy he left behind. Be sure to check out two book reviews that Green mentioned on this episode here and here.

On this edition of Parallax Views, a special, previously unpublished conversationwith Joseph Matheny, a pivotal fixture of the bohemian tech counterculture during the early days of the internet, who may offer a key to understanding the wild social media phenomenon of QAnon and the general hijacking of counterculture by right-wing and corporate forces. This should be of particular interest in light of the recent FBI memo pointing towards QAnon conspiracy theories presenting a potential domestic terror threat. Joseph Matheny is perhaps best known as a transmedia artist who pioneered the Alternate Reality Game (ARG) with the inter-based collaborative fiction Ong's Hat. An ARG is a type of game that uses the real world as platform and have been used in marketing campaign for Halo 2, the Lost TV series, and Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero album. The genre has flourished because of the internet and is particularly interesting in that it does not require the player realize that they are playing. The parallels between ARGs and the QAnon phenomenon are striking. In fact, due to the focus of conspiracy theories and arcane secret histories found in Ong's Hat, some have whispered that Matheny is having a bit of a laugh as the possible mastermind behind QAnon. Matheny adamantly denies this and I believe him when he says he's not involved in QAnon. However, both of us agree that QAnon, whether knowingly or otherwise, uses the mechanics of an ARG in a way that is quite eerie. In addition to discussing alternate reality games and things like Pizzagate and QAnon as "Dark ARGs" in the age of MAGA, Joseph Matheny and I more generally delve into how counterculture appears to have been hijacked, perhaps even weaponized, by corporate and right-wing elements. It's a fascinating episode that you're not going to want to miss!

On this edition of Parallax Views, British author and commentator T.J. Coles joins us to discuss the UK's controversial new Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the midst of Brexit. Since June 23rd, 2016, when the U.K. voted in favor of a referendum to leave the European Union, Britain has experienced a sustained period of political turbulence. Who was behind the Brexit campaign? Who were the forces opposing it? What does the British exit from the United Kingdom entail? And, of course, how did this happen? T.J. Coles, author of The Great Brexit Swindle: Why the Mega-Rich and Free Market Fanatics Conspired to Force Britain from the European Union, provides interesting answers to these questions while also unpacking the ideas of neoliberalism, the state of democracy in Britain, criticisms of the EU's technocratic nature, the negative media portrayals of Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, and parallels between the political economies of the U.K. and the U.S. Articles: "The Tragic Inevitability of Boris Johnson MP" by T.J. Coles (Counterpunch) "'Strategic Extremism': How Republicans and Establishment Democrats Use Identity Politics to Divide and Rule" by T.J. Coles (Counterpunch) "The Billionaires Behind the Far-Right" by T.J. Coles (Counterpunch) "Corbyn and the Mainstream Media: A Case-Study in Fake News" by T.J. Coles (Counterfire) "We Need a People's Globalization to Defeat Global Neoliberalism" by T.J. Coles (Truth Out) Books: Real Fake News by T.J. Coles (Red Pill Press) Privatized Planet by T.J. Coles (New Internationalist) The Great Brexit Swindle by T.J. Coles (Clairview Books) See also: Parallax Views Ep. 61: Matthew Alford on Corbyn, Brexit, and the "Union Jackboot" of British Foreign Policy

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Eric Draitser of Counterpunch, joins us to discuss his recent article "Records Show Palantir Made $60 Million Contracting with ICE for Mobile App". Palantir Technologies, a software company co-founded by the controversial Silicon Valley Trump supporter Peter Thiel, has recently come under heavy scrutiny thanks to a July expose that detailed it's relationship with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Draitser, however, argues that ICE's use of Palantir's FALCON mobile app is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the big data giant's fingerprints can be found in everything from the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the targeting of dissident journalists. Put another way, it can be argued that Palantir may well represent the Orwellian nightmare of 1984's Big Brother or Phillip K. Dick's Minority Report made a frightening reality. Additionally, Eric tells listeners about the announcement of Counterpunch's collaboration with previous Parallax Views guest Barrett Brown, Distributed Denial of Secrets, and others to expose the corruption of a scandalous London investment firm through #29Leaks. IF YOU ENJOY ERIC DRAITSER'S ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING HIS EFFORTS ON PATREON INDEPENDENT ALTERNATIVE MEDIA CAN'T EXIST WITHOUT YOU!

On this, the return edition of Parallax Views, independent journalist Pearse Redmond of Porkins Policy Review joins us once again for the latest in the sordid saga of Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire sex offender with associates in the highest positions of wealth and power. Pearse famously joined us for a two-part deep dive into the dirty details of the Epstein case in September of 2018 (see episodes 29 and 30). Fast-forward to July 2019: Epstein has been arrested in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking and his sordid saga has broken into the mainstream consciousness. This episode touches on a number of the new developments in the case such as the Palm Beach Police Department's PR crisis in relation to the work-release program they gave Epstein, grifting "journalist" Mike Cernovich inserting himself into the latest arrest, the decoy passport authorities found in Epstein's New York mansion, claims of intelligence agency ties to Epstein, the mainstream and alternative media's approaches to the story, Epstein's movements in Hollywood after 2008, and much, much more. It's a jam-packed return for Parallax View that runs over 2 hours dealing with a case that could crack open the taboo discussion about how the wealthy and power wield undue influence in society. Links: Lette Response in Support of Motion by Jeffrey Epstein Regarding Foreign Passport (PDF) Letter by USA as to Jeffrey Epstein Regarding Foreign Passport (PDF) Jeffrey Epstein: Model prisoner who swept, mopped floors, official says (Palm Beach Post) Jeffrey Epstein’s Sick Story Played Out for Years in Plain Sight (The Daily Beast) Jeffrey Epstein Moved Freely in Hollywood Circles Even After 2008 Conviction (The Hollywood Reporter) Jeffrey Epstein discloses assets of $560m in court filing (Washington Business Journal) Alan Dershowitz Now Says He Was Not ‘Close’ To Jeffrey Epstein, But His 2002 Comments Tell A Different Story (The Inquisitr) $56 Million Upper East Side Mansion Where Epstein Allegedly Abused Girls (The New Yorks Times) From private island to private jet: What is 'billionaire' Jeffrey Epstein's net worth? (USA Today) “The Girls Were Just So Young”: The Horrors of Jeffrey Epstein’s Private Island (Vanity Fair) Journalist Vicky Ward Was Silenced When Trying to Expose Jeffrey Epstein in 2002 (AM to DM) The Talented Mr. Epstein by Vicky Ward (Vanity Fair)

Reports indicate that YouTube has become a breeding ground for alt right radicalization. How did this powerful platform become a haven for the far-right? Joining us on this edition of Parallax Views to tease out some details that may answer that question is video essayist José. José, whose Youtube videos feature deep-dive critiques of right-wing ideologues like Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux, explains how the reactionary turn of the YouTube community goes back to the New Atheist Movement. Additionally, José talks with us a bit about some of the alt right's favorite talking points like social Darwinism and the "white genocide" conspiracy theory in South Africa and the pseudo-journalism of personalities like Lauren Southern. Then José and I turn to the subject of culture wars from Gamergate to the more recent Comicsgate which has found elements of video game and comic book fandom becoming enraged over what they see as a politically-motivated effort to force racial, gender, and sexual diversity onto their favorite media. Check Out José on YouTube! Show Notes: The alt-right loves YouTube (Vox) How YouTube Built a Radicalization Machine for the Far-Right (The Daily Beast) From the Enlightenment to the Dark Ages: How "new atheism" slid into the alt-right (Salon) The New Atheist "Elevatorgate" Controversy (RationalWiki) Trump’s tweet echoing white nationalist propaganda about South African farmers, explained (Vox) South Africa: The groups playing on the fears of a 'white genocide’ (BBC) South Africa and the Far Right Pt. 1 (Rational Disconnect Youtube) What is Comicsgate? The Newest Geek Controversy, Explained (Inverse) Relevant José Video Essays: How Stefan Molyneux Repackages Social Darwinism Pseudo-Journalism with Lauren Southern Why Why "Get Woke, Go Broke" is a Lie #ComicsGate and the War on Diversity in Comic Books (with special guest Mexie) PARALLAX VIEWS EXCLUSIVE EDITION (AVAILABLE ON PATREON): José Talks About His Latest Two-Part Video Essay "Roseanne of the Conners", a Leftist Reading of Roseanne from Its Original Incarnation to the Revival and Reboot

On April 11, 2019 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by British authorities after almost 7 years of asylum in London's Ecuadorian embassy. Reviled by many and revered by others, Assange and Wikileaks became a magnet of controversy for over a decade thanks to their publishing leaked media like the Collateral Damage video and the Podesta emails. Wikileaks, however, was part of a broader movement called "hacktivism" that became increasingly popular in the early 2000's through work of the informal, online collective Anonymous. This movement raised increasingly relevant questions about whistleblowing, journalism, and transparency that have only became more pressing as the highly technological 21st century rolls forward with concerning revelations made public by whistleblowers like NSA contractor Edward Snowden and former Cambridge Analytica data consultant Christopher Wylie. Joining us on this edition of Parallax Views to unpack these issues is journalist, whistleblower, and former Anonymous associate Barret Brown of the Pursuance Project. Like Julian Assange, Barrett Brown ran afoul of government authorities due to his involvement with Anonymous eventually culminating in his arrest and a 63 month prison sentence in relation to the Stratfor email leaks case. Brown has written for such publications as The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, True/Slant, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, and D Magazine as well as winning a National Magazine Award for his work at The Intercept. During the course of our discussion Brown tells his story and gives his takes on the arrest of Julian Assange and the media's coverage of it, the state of journalism, Wikileaks, Anonymous, The Intercept's shutdown of the Edward Snowden archive, and much. In addition, Brown fills us in on his latest endeavor the Pursuance Project and his hopes that it will continue the fight for transparency where others have failed. On the whole it's a candid conversation with Barret Brown that's sure to go down as one of Parallax Views' most explosive and controversial episodes to date. CHECK OUT THE PURSUANCE PROJECT Look Out for Barrett Brown's Upcoming Book My Glorious Defeats: Hacktivist, Narcissist, Anonymous: A Memoir Show Notes: Anonymous (Wikipedia Entry) 2012–13 Stratfor Email Leak (Wikipedia Entry) HBGary (Wikipedia Entry) Video Footage of FBI Raid on Barrett Brown During an Online Video Chat Accidental Warrior: The Life and Time of Barrett Brown (Documentary) Relatively Free (Alex Winter's Short Documentary on Barrett Brown and His Release from Prison) Barrett Brown Archive @ The Intercept Barret Brown Archive @ D Magazine Barrett Brown Archive @ Medium Police arrest Julian Assange at Ecuadorian Embassy in London (CNN) EXCLUSIVE: Assange arrested & escorted out of Ecuadorian Embassy (Ruptly/RT) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be punished for embarrassing the DC establishment by Jonathan Turley (USA Today) Pentagon Papers Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg Speaks Out on the Arrest of Julian Assange (The Progressive) Julian Assange Went After a Former Ally. It Backfired Epically. by Spencer Ackerman (Barrett Brown Vs Julian Assange; The Daily Beast) Barrett Brown's Statement on Julian Assange (April 4th 2019, Prior to and Predicting Assange's Arrest) WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange: Expelled, Extradited, Undaunted. Is Journalism on Trial? (RT's The Big Picture) Snowden archives at great risk — As alarming as Assange's arrest (Justice Integrity Project) The Intercept Shuts Down Access to Snowden Trove by Maxwell Tani (The Daily Beast) The Intercept Bars Co-Founder From Meeting After Snowden Archive Shutdown by Maxwell Tani (The Daily Beast) Laura Poitras ‘Sickened’ By Layoffs at The Intercept (The Daily Beast) Why The Intercept Really Closed the Snowden Archive by Barrett Brown (Medium) The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald Responding to Criticism of the Snowden Archive's Shutdown Music: Metaphazic - Slipstream [ synthwave ] (Intro Collage) Metaphazic - Hydrophase [ synthwave ] (Intro Commentary) FSM Team – Flying Home [Synthwave] from Royalty Free Planet™ (Outro Commentary) SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!  

Hemp, a strain of cannabis sativa, has had a long, strange, and storied history in America from being grown by the Founding Fathers to being rendered virtually illegal by the United States government for decades. There was even a state-sponsored effort encouraging farmers to grow hemp to support the U.S.'s efforts in WWII! Now, with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill Act, hemp is finally receiving its moment in the 21st century. And according to our guest on this edition of Parallax Views it's a moment that's long overdue. Jen Hobbs, author of American Hemp: How Growing Our Newest Cash Crop Can Improve Our, Clean Our Environment, and Slow Climate Change and co-author of Governor Jesse Ventura's The Marijuana Manifesto, joins us to discuss the many utilities of this incredible plant including making us healthier, solving the lead crisis, assuaging the problems arising in the aftermath of major fires like those that have recently ravaged California, and even, she argues, combating climate change! Sound to good to be true? Well, hear Jen out because she may just be able to make you into a believer! AMERICAN HEMP: HOW GROWING OUR NEWEST CASH CROP CAN IMPROVE OUR HEALTH, CLEAN OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE BY JEN HOBBS AVAILABLE NOW FROM SKYHORSE PUBLISHING! KEEP UP WITH JEN HOBBS AT THE AMERICAN HEMP SUBSTACK BLOG/NEWSLETTER! Show Notes: The United States Department of Agriculture's WWII-Era Hemp for Victory Short Film Jesse Ventura's Marijuana Manifesto "Hemp is Our 'Green New Deal'" by Jen Hobbs @ Salon 2018 Farm Bill Primo Nutmeg Podcast Black Op Radio (Recently Featured Jen as a Guest) Friend of the Show Pearse Redmond's Porkins Policy Radio Has a New and Improved Live Show on Tuesdays from 3-5 P.M. EST at The Ochelli Effect Upcoming Episode of Parallax Views Will Feature Whistleblower & Journalist Barrett Brown of the Pursuance Project on the Early Days of Anonymous, the Arrest of Julian Assange, the Intercept's Shutdown of the Edward Snowden Archive, and the State of Journalism Music: [No Copyright Music] Chill Lofi Hip Hop Instrumental (Copyright Free) Music - Days Like These (Intro Commentary) V.I.P.N - EPIC CLOUD TRAP BEAT | No Copyright Trap (Outro Commentary) SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!

On this edition of Parallax Views, New York-based author, artist, and returning guest Terry Tapp joins us for a discussion of his latest creative endeavor, The Lungfish Project, which traverses questions of evolution, time, human origins, religion, storytelling, and more in the form of what Terry calls picto-philosophy. Terry explains how the Lungfish Project found inspiration in the late beatnik writer William S. Burroughs' rumination on the space age at the Nova Convention and how the project is influenced by such varied sources as religion, philosophy, storytelling, anti-authoritarianism, and much more. Additionally, Terry and I discuss his interest in psychedelics and where psychedelic culture has gone wrong in recent years, the idea of the cynic and the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, the aesthetics of time, and much more. A Serf's Journal: The Story of the United States' Longest Wildcat Strike by Terry Tapp (Zero Books, 2017) SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!