Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
Society & Culture
On this edition of Parallax Views, the acclaimed New York Times journalist Neil Sheehan passed away on January 7th, 2021. Sheehan is particularly known for his reporting on the Vietnam War, his bestseller A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, and his involvement in the story of whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. Although highly regarded by most, Jim DiEugenio of Kennedys and King offered criticisms of Sheehan's journalistic oeuvre in his piece "Neil Sheehan: In Retrospect". Jim joins us on this edition of the program to offer a parallax view on the work of Neil Sheehan and his contemporary David Halberstam, author of The Best and the Brightest, as it relates to their work on the Vietnam war. DiEugenio argues in his heavily footnoted piece that, contrary to recognizing the Vietnam War as a folly, Sheenan offers a "Lost Cause" theory of the conflict that has since been taken up by journalists today like Max Boot (author of The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the Tragedy in Vietnam) and others. Additionally, DiEugenio makes thoughtful critiques of Sheehan in relation to the story of the Pentagon Papers and Sheehan's spat with attorney Mark Lane over Vietnam atrocity. This is a fascinating conversation that also manages to delve into foreign policy during the administration of President John F. Kennedy and a rundown of the story behind the Pentagon Papers. Additionally, Jim offers his thoughts on the Capitol riots of January 6th, 2021. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!
Israel/Palestine, Violence in Jenin, Israeli Police Murder of an Autistic Man, and the Iraqi Shia Kidnapping of an Israeli-Russian National w/ Richard Silverstein
Biden Nominee Elliott Abrams, the Iran-Contra Affair, and the U.S. Foreign Policy Blob
Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics w/ Geneticist Adam Rutherford
The Enduring Legacy of V, the Hit Sci-Fi TV Series That Used the Alien Invasion Trope to Explore the Dangers of Fascism w/ Kenny Johnson
The Wild World of Pro Wrestling (and Some Politics Talk Too... Plus Freemasonry!?) w/ Kenny ”Starmaker” Bolin
Cultural Memory, Climate Change, and the Potential Catastrophe of a Digital Dark Age w/ Charles Henry
Media Representation, How AI Can Amplify Bias, and the Problem With The Little Mermaid w/ Marcus Ryder
Ukraine/Russia War Update + Wagner Group’s Chief Attacks Russian Military Elites w/ Anatol Lieven
The U.S. & Middle East in a Changing 21st Century Order & the Nation-States Vs. Civilizational States Conflict w/ James M. Dorsey
Ron DeSantis Accused of Campaign Finance Violation; Dark Money & Foreign Influence Lobbying w/ Taylor Giorno
Fred Olen Ray Returns to Discuss Collaborating With Ed Wood, Low-Budget Filmmaking, Wild Tales from 80s Hollywood, & More!
Heavy Radicals: The FBI’s Secret War on America’s Maoists w/ Aaron J. Leonard
I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get To It! Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom w/ Norman Finkelstein
True Blue: White Unionists in the Deep South during the Civil War and Reconstruction w/ Clayton J. Butler
Spyfail: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence w/ James Bamford
The British Marxist Historians w/ Harvey J. Kaye
Amityville: An Origin Story w/ Jack Riccobono
We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland w/ Fintan O’Toole
The Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians by Turkey-Supported Azerbaijan w/ Peter Bahlawanian
A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: The Saudi Struggle for Iraq w/ Katherine Harvey
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