Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, big pharma is likely to find itself under the microscope of public attention once again as concerns arise over it placing profits over people in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Noted investigative journalist Gerald Posner, author of Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster; 2020), joins us to discuss the long, storied, and often shocking history of big pharma in the United States from its turn of the century roots to its much discussed role in the American opioid crisis. This conversation covers a wide amount of ground beginning with the coronavirus. Then we take a brief detour to discuss the current state of investigative journalism and how challenges facing the field. During this portion of the conversation Gerald reveals that Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America was a years-in-the-making project that ambitiously set out to tell the story of big pharma in a single volume and took Gerald in unexpected directions. From there, however, we move into a conversation of pharma's early history and how some of it parallels to flim-flam men and snake-oils salesmen selling "miracle cures". We then delve into how pharma changed (and made massive profits) in the WWII era with the development of antibiotics. This leads us into a brief discussion of how a conflict arose betwen pharma's old guard and its new blood in the 1950s. In particular, Gerald and I discuss the figure of Pfizer chariman John McKeen and the young, ambitious advertising man he employed: Arthur M. Sackler. For the unitiated, the Sackler family are the owners of Purdue Pharma, the privately-owned pharmaceutical company behind Oxycontin, that has come under intense scrutiny due to the American opioid epidemic. Gerald and I discuss the interesting life of Arthur M. Sackler Jewish kid from Brooklyn that faced antisemitism from his WASP neighbors to a political radical that staunchly opposed racism and became an FBI informant against a German company involved in money laundering to the Nazis. Gerald also reveals that Arthur, as well as his card-carrying Communist Party brother Raymond Sackler, were monitored by the FBI during the Red Scare. And finally, at least in regards to Arthur, we discuss how he went from a political radical to becoming comfortable with wealth. We then move onto a discussion of the Sacklers and some of the controversies surrounding them, including stories involving tax havens and the potentially shady ways that the family made millions of dollars off a vitamin-based product. Additionally, Gerald and I discuss how one lawyer referred to the Sacklers as "essentially a crime family". Moreover, Gerald reveals how New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani fits into the controversies around Purdue Pharma and how Purdue Pharma adopted and modified the NRA's maxim "Gun Don't Kill, People Kill People" to their own ends in relation to OxyContin. And finally Gerald briefly tells us about the courageous mother who took on the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma in light of her daughter's passing due to an Oxycontin overdose. We wrap up the conversation by talking about the possibility for reforming big pharma and how Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America shows how a figure like "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli is only the tip of the iceberg in regards to the dark side of big pharma. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, as coronavirus grips the United States and the world Parallax Views regular guest JP Sottile aka the Newsvandal joins us to discuss all the latest in current events (and their historical connections to the past) during these fearful times. We begin the conversation by discussing COVID-19. JP is currently in self-quarantine after finding out his roomamte contracted the virus. Not only that, but JP is also in one of the epicenter of coronavirus in the USA. We then go on to discuss the possible effect this pandemic may have on globalization, and how figures ranging from Foreing Policy in Focus's John Feffer to paleoconservative Pat Buchanan are considering the potential for coronavirus to deliver a death blow to the current neoliberal world order. From there we go on to discuss the resurgence of nationalism around the world coupled with the oncoming possibility of ecological crisis. This segues into a discussion of America's generational divide, the increasing anger directed at baby boomers by millennials and Gen Z, and how Generation X fits into it all. Additionally, we discuss the Democratic Primaries, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and where progressives should put their energies in a post-Bernie scenario. Moreover, we discuss the differences between the Trumpist right that has taken over the GOP from more moderate Republican and the progressive movement, embodied by the Bernie Sanders campaign, that have sought to take over the Democratic Party. And finally we come back to the coronavirus at the end of our conversation and the scary developments around it. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmGPDmD1s-Y On this video edition of Parallax Views, C. Derick Varn of Zero Books and the Pop the Left podcast discusses coronavirus, the 2020 election, the Left, the resurgence of nationalism, neoliberalism and globalization, the EU, the possibility of a coming economic crash, and much more in a jam-packed nearly two hour conversation w/ host J.G. Michael. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, T. of Champagne Sharks, a podcast that describes itself as "distinguished but vicious" which explores issues related to race, racism, culture, and class from a left political perspective, joins us for a two hour conversation that goes in a multitude of different directions. We begin by discussing T.'s general mission with the Champagne Sharks podcast and the branch out into discussions about intersectionality vs class reductionism, internet culture war, and much, much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this special video edition of Parallax Views, Prof. Harvey J. Kaye, author of Take Hold of Our History: Make America Radical Again, joins J.G. Michael and his co-host Casey to discuss Bernie Sanders, the need to reclaim America's radical tradition, and what comes next for progressive and left-wing activists if Biden gets the Democratic Party nomination in the 2020 Presidential Election. Sidenote: Still getting used to this vidoe thing. Harvey breaks up at one point but this convo is good. Also, Casey is obscured like he's Blofeld in the James Bond movies, but I guess that adds to the suspense for the eventual face reveal. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, underground publisher entrepreneur extraordinaire Shane Bugbee of the Speak of the Devil podcast joins us to discuss love, hope, radicalism, philosophy, grace, aging, the struggles of being an artist, and trading in misanthropy for trust and hope in his fellow man. Oh, and we talk Bernie Sanders too! In case you're unfamiliar, Shane is a a magnet from controversy. For example, he is the person who republished Ragnar Redbeard's Might Makes Right, effectively taking the screed out of obscurity (he's since taken it out of circulation after and expressed more than a bit of contempt for the racist neo-nazis who have touted the book). Additionally, he's been involved in the worlds of true crime, heavy metal, and even the subculture of Satanism from Anton LaVey's Church of Satan to Lucien Greaves' The Satanic Temple. It was these associations that led Shane to being ran out of the small-town of Ely, Minnesota. You may be thinking, "Ugh, an edgelord!" But, interestingly Shane isn't a misanthrope at this stage in his life. Specifically, after a cross-country tour of the U.S. for his documentary/book The Suffering and Celebration of Life in America, he says that he learned to trust people and that, for the most part, people aren't so bad. This is a relatively free-form conversation with Shane and we cover a smorgasboard of topics like religion (Shane takes a dimmer view on the matter than I do), his unique experiences talking to people from both the tippy top and bottom rungs of the socioeconomic latter, and why altruism paradoxically helps yourself as well as others. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, while concerns about the global pandemic known as the coronavirus continue to mount in the United States, many folks are being hit by symptoms of another entirely different condition sweeping the nation. Namely, election fever. The surprise comeback of former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic Party Primaries proved to be a dark day for progressive activists, specifically supporters of Bernie Sanders.. As we race toward the General Election in November that will pit the Democratic nominee against sitting President Donald Trump, the heat has been turned up a notch on the Democratic Party Primary race. Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Michale Bloomberg, and, now, Elizabeth Warren have dropped out of the running leaving us with a match-up between the centrist moderate Joe Biden and the progressive Bernie Sanders. Joining us later on this edition of the program to discuss the aftermath of Super Tuesday and where progressive movement and the left need to go from here is Eric Draitser of Counterpunch Radio. But first... The 2000 Presidential Election, which pitted Republican George W. Bush against Democrat Al Gore, the latter fresh from a run as Vice President under Bill Clinton, was marred by controversy by the time it ended. For a brief period it appeared to many, including the news media, that Gore would win the election. However, reporting on Al Gore’s victory in Florida, where George W’s brother Jeb Bush was serving as Governor, suddenly proved incorrect at the 11th hour. Controversy arose when it was found that Votomatic machine punch card ballots appeared to have left sizable number of voters unaccounted for. Republicans claimed that this was because said voters were not sophisticated enough to use the Votomatic machien properly. Meanwhile, Democrats demanded recounts. The debacle eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court when it was decided that Bush would be declared the winner of the Presidential race. Nonetheless, public figures ranging from progressive radio host Thom Hartmann to famed attorney Vincent Bugliosi would go on to dissect the controversies and challenge Bush’s victory after the fact. In 2018, noted true crime author and investigative journalist Stephen Singular sought to tell the story of his investigation into the matter by way of his book Stolen Future: The Untold Story of the 2000 Election. Singular was knee-deep in the story as it was happening, but only now. thanks to fellow journalist Russ Baker’s WhoWhatWhy media outlet, has he been able to tell the tale. And I must say its a tale straight out of a crime noir thriller. Regardless your take on the 2000 Presidential Election, Stephen Singular’s Stolen Future raises troubling questions about the state of election integrity in the United States. Whether one believes the result of the 2000 Presidential Election was due to malfeasance or the potential incompetence of the companies behind the Votomatic machines that haunted said election, Singular’s reporting, in my view, should make us all consider the age old question of whether or not money belongs in politics. Should something as important as a Presidential Election be left in the hands of the private interests who create our voting machines? Stephen Singular joins us to recount his personal investigation of the Bush vs. Gore debacle and the issue of "hanging chads" as told in his book, Stolen Future: The Untold Story of the 2000 Election. Then... Eric Draitser of Counterpunch Radio returns to the program to share his commentary on the aftermath of of Super Tuesday, Joe Biden's big comeback, and what it means for not only the Bernie Sanders campaign but the progressive/left movement in America as a whole. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, the controversial founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, appeared in a London court late this past February for his extradition hearing. Investigative journalist Kevin Gosztola of ShadowProof and the Unauthorized Disclosure podcast w/ Rania Khalek, who was in attendance for the hearing, joins us to provide a firsthand report of the proceedings and give a primer on the case of Julian Assange. Additionaly, Kevin and I discuss what is at stake for press freedom in relation Assange's case, how the Spanish security firm Undercover Global (which has connections to billionaire Trump donor Sheldon Adelson) connects to the case, how Assange was held in a glass box during the hearing, Iraq War whistleblower Chelsea Manning's relevance to Assange's case, and much, much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, can music change the world? Joining us to tackle that question as well as outline the rich history of protest music is Brad Schreiber, author of Music is Power: Popular Songs, Social Justice, and the Will to Change. As Schreiber shows in the fascinating new book, available now from Rutgers University Press, protest music, or as he prefers to call it "socially conscious music", goes far beyond the antiwar anthems and can even be traced back to the early 20th century with class conscious musicians like Joe Hill, a labor activist associated with the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). In this conversation we discuss artist ranging from Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger to artist you may not have ever considered as political before like bubble pop icon Lesley Gore and the founding fathers of heavy metal Black Sabbath. We also discuss such musicians as the obscure but talented satirist Tom Lehrer, counterculture legend Frank Zappa, "The Godfather of Soul" James Brown, R&B pioneer Curtis Mayfield, and the punk rock of the Sex Pistols as well as specific songs like Janis Ian's "Society's Children" and Peter Gabriel's "Biko". We even talk a little bit about Pink Floyd and their politically outspoken co-founder Roger Waters. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this special bonus edition of Parallax Views, legendary progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann took a little bit of time out of his busy schedule for a half hour discussion of his fascinating and important new book, The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote And How to Get It Back. In this concise, and easily-digestible book, which follows from The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America and The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment, Thom lays out the Republican Party, backed by the ultra-wealthy, have waged a decades-long all out assault on voters, specifically women, people of color, and the working class through voter purges, gerrymandering, and other tactics. However, in addition to laying out this immensely under-discussed history, Thom also offers solutions that will re-empower voters and, in the process, aid in expanding our shared values of Democracy. In this conversation we discuss some of the main points of Thom's book as well as recent debate about the Electoral College Vs. the Popular vote in light of the 2016 Presidential Election and Thom's thoughts on what another 4 years of a Trump Presidency would mean for the United States of America. It is my hope that this conversation proves timely and vital during this election season. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!