Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS A SPECIAL INTROUDCTION BY J.G. SHARING HIS THOUGHTS ON ORI GOLDBERG (RIP) AND IS FOLLOWED BY TWO INTERVIEWS: THE FIRST ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON 07-28-24 AND THE SECOND RELEASED ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON 04-08-25. I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Ori Goldberg, one of my most thoughtful yet incisive guests on the topic of Israel. Although many knew him just an as Israeli dissident, I considered Ori a friend and always loved talking with him. He always went out of his way to promote my show and spoke so honestly with me both on-air and off-air. The last time we spoke I talked with him a little bit off-air about his illness. I didn't want to believe Ori was going to pass, but I had a bad feeling even before that last time we spoke. Its why I tried to have him on so often. He was just a font of analysis and commentary. He often spoke in an almost poetic way, while also being down-to-earth. And again, so open about both himself and his perceptions of Israel, life, and facing death. I'm not sure I've ever met anyone else like him. He was something special. In his memory I'll be reposting his interviews on Parallax Views throughout the week. A bit shook by this passing. Although it was known that Ori was ill, his passing is a great loss. Here's to you Ori. 👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:https://wallstreetwindow.com/ 07-28-24 Episode Synopsis: On this edition of Parallax Views, Israel commentator Ori Goldberg joins me from Tel Aviv to discuss the rocket that hit a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams within the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel has blamed the attacked on a Hezbollah strike. Hezbollah denied being behind the attack. Speculation arose that it was actually due to a malfunction of Israel's Iron Dome. That said, there is evidence that this was likely a Hezbollah rocket. In any case, 12 Druze children perished due to the rocket. At the funeral for the dead children, members of the Druze community protested the presence of Israeli ministers. Meanwhile, a number of Israelis are turning "We Are All Druze Now" into a slogan as fears of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah grow. Ori offers his thoughts on the incident, and makes the case that the deaths of the Druze children was likely accidental based on Hezbollah past history and concerns that any false move could start a war. He DOES NOT deny that Hezbollah conducted strikes. Nor does he seek to deny the tragedy of children being killed. Additionally, he questions/challenges the conspiracy theories arising that this was an Israeli false flag and gives his reasons for believing this is not the case. With that in mind, he cautions against drawing any firm conclusions about whether this was a mistake or intentional until there is further investigation. Ori also argues that this will not lead to a war between Israel and Hezbollah because, in his analysis, neither the IDF or Hezbollah want a full-blown war at this time. In addition to all of this we'll also discuss the death of Mohammad Bhar, a young Palestinian man afflicted with autism and Down syndrome who was mauled by an Israel Defense Forces attack dog and bled out in the aftermath. Moreover, we will discuss the Israeli psyche at this moment, the situation of the Bedouin and Druze minorities in Israel and discrimination against them, the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People that was passed by the Israeli Knesset in 2018, why Ori believes the Gaza war is slouching towards an inevitable close/end, Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to U.S. congress, post-war Gaza and "The Day After", Netanyahu announcing the he's "postponing" the departure of sick children from Gaza who need life-saving therapy because of the Majdal Shams indecent, the blowing up of Rafah'

I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Ori Goldberg, one of my most thoughtful yet incisive guests on the topic of Israel. Although many knew him just an as Israeli dissident, I considered Ori a friend and always loved talking with him. He always went out of his way to promote my show and spoke so honestly with me both on-air and off-air. The last time we spoke I talked with him a little bit off-air about his illness. I didn't want to believe Ori was going to pass, but I had a bad feeling even before that last time we spoke. Its why I tried to have him on so often. He was just a font of analysis and commentary. He often spoke in an almost poetic way, while also being down-to-earth. And again, so open about both himself and his perceptions of Israel, life, and facing death. I'm not sure I've ever met anyone else like him. He was something special. In his memory I'll be reposting his interview on Parallax Views throughout the week. A bit shook by this passing. Although it was known that Ori was ill, his passing is a great loss. Here's to you Ori. 👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, Israeli commentator Ori Goldberg, who has become well-known since the Gaza war began for his criticisms of Netanyahu and the state, or mindset, of Israeli society since October 7th. In a previous life he was a Middle East scholar who specialized in studying Iran. We start the conversation off with that as Ori gives his thoughts on the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and comments on the adaptability of the Islamic Republic in face of crisis. From there we shift to a conversation about the state of Israeli society today. Before October 7th much was made about the internal divisions in Israeli political life that has been summed up as a battle between a secular state of Israel vs. a religious state of Judea embodied by the far-right coalition created by Benjamin Netanyahu. Then the Hamas attack of October 7th happened. And in Ori's estimation it has led to a surfacing of something almost mythical in regard to the Israeli identity. In the course of our conversation Ori attempts to articulate the mindset that and structural make-up of Israeli society and the Israeli psyche. This leads us to a discussion of supremacist beliefs in Israeli society and how Israel sees itself in relation to the world. He argues that his country must go through a reckoning and transformation for a viable future. But he does not argue this from the frame of a mundane political analysis. Rather he seeks to offer what he believes is an intimate and intense portrait of Israel at this moment. Ori will also offer his thoughts on the dehumanization of Palestinians in Israel and how the process dehumanization degrades and dehumanizes even the perpetrator of it. Finally he comments on his statement that, in Israel, "Palestinian blood has become cheaper than air." Ori paints a grim picture of where Israel is at as a society, but maintains that he is optimistic about change and transformation.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:https://wallstreetwindow.com/ NOTE: I was not able to work with my usual microphone on this one, so please bear in mind audio on my end may sound a bit odd but hopefully not too distracting. On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael is joined by Allison Butler, author of The Judgment of Gender: How Women Are Centered and Silenced in Pop Culture, for a conversation about the ways in which popular culture frames, judges, and often silences women. From the public spectacles surrounding Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbitt to the broader cultural treatment of women who speak out, challenge expectations, or find themselves at the center of controversy, Butler examines how gender shapes the stories we tell about women and the ways audiences are encouraged to perceive them. The conversation also raises questions that remain urgently relevant amid contemporary cases involving sexual violence, including the Cornell 7 case and the recent sexual assault allegations reported by congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia. How do media narratives shape public perceptions of victims, perpetrators, and accountability? Why are women so often scrutinized for their behavior while the broader social dynamics surrounding violence and misogyny receive less attention? And what can critical media literacy teach us about questioning the narratives presented to us by popular culture? Drawing on her work in media literacy, Butler invites us to look beyond familiar headlines and celebrity controversies to consider how women are simultaneously placed at the center of public attention and denied the ability to control their own stories.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael speaks with Kurt Avery, founder and president of Sawyer Products, about the growing threat of mosquito-borne illnesses, tick-borne disease, and the practical ways people can protect themselves and their families. With dengue appearing in Florida and West Nile virus being reported across the United States, why do mosquito-borne illnesses often seem to surge later in the year? Avery explains what he calls the “inverse pyramid,” in which mosquito-borne infections can build throughout the warmer months as more infected people provide opportunities for mosquitoes to spread disease. Avery breaks down the differences between dengue and West Nile, how mosquitoes transmit these illnesses, why standing water in something as small as a flower pot or birdbath can become a breeding ground, and why avoiding mosquito exposure at dawn and dusk can make a difference. We also get into one of the most interesting aspects of mosquito prevention: permethrin-treated clothing. Avery explains how permethrin works, why he considers it a first line of defense, how long treatment can remain effective, and why treated clothing can be especially useful for children, hikers, hunters, gardeners, and anyone spending time outdoors. He also discusses picaridin as an alternative to DEET and explains why Sawyer has increasingly focused on what he calls “the two Ps,” permethrin and picaridin. But mosquitoes aren't the only problem. Avery argues that ticks may pose an even greater threat, discusses the diseases they can transmit, and offers practical advice for reducing exposure, including treating shoes and socks with permethrin. J.G. Michael also asks Avery about an important ecological question: how should communities control disease-carrying insects without creating unintended environmental consequences? Avery discusses the problems he sees with indiscriminate mosquito spraying, including the possibility of selecting for more resistant mosquito populations, and explains why his approach emphasizes repelling insects rather than simply trying to kill them. The conversation then takes a much broader turn. Avery discusses Sawyer's work providing inexpensive water filtration systems in communities around the world, the relationship between clean water, nutrition, and malaria, and the company's efforts to use permethrin-treated baby wraps and other interventions to reduce malaria among children. Avery describes what he calls the “30-cent solution” to the global water crisis and argues that relatively small investments in water filtration and disease prevention could dramatically improve health and economic conditions in developing countries. It's a wide-ranging conversation about mosquitoes, dengue, West Nile virus, ticks, insect repellents, public health, environmental concerns, malaria, clean water, and the surprisingly simple technologies that Avery believes can save lives. If you're in Florida or another part of the country dealing with mosquitoes and ticks, there's plenty of practical information here. But the discussion ultimately raises a much bigger question: how much human suffering could be prevented if we focused more resources on inexpensive prevention rather than treating disease after the fact?

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, returning guest Charlotte Dennett joins us to discuss the geopolitics of oil, natural gas, pipelines, and the ongoing conflicts across the Middle East. Charlotte Dennett is the author of Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil. Drawing on her research into the history of Middle Eastern oil politics and the mysterious death of her father, U.S. counterintelligence agent Daniel Dennett, Charlotte argues that energy resources and pipeline routes are essential to understanding conflicts that are often explained primarily through security, terrorism, ideology, or geopolitics. We begin with the war with Iran and Charlotte's argument that the country's enormous oil reserves are an overlooked factor in understanding U.S. policy toward Tehran. We discuss the 1953 CIA-backed overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh following his nationalization of Iran's oil industry, the history of U.S. and British intervention in the Middle East, and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz. From there, we examine the war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia's interest in alternative oil routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Charlotte discusses her argument that the development of new energy and trade corridors is crucial to understanding the strategic importance of Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the eastern Mediterranean. We also discuss the war in Gaza and Charlotte's controversial argument that energy resources and proposed pipeline routes are part of the geopolitical calculations surrounding the destruction and depopulation of Gaza and southern Lebanon. Charlotte lays out her interpretation of the offshore oil and natural-gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean and the potential strategic importance of Haifa as an energy hub. The conversation then turns to October 7, Netanyahu, and Charlotte's argument that Israeli officials may have deliberately allowed the attack to occur or subsequently exploited the attack as a pretext for a much larger campaign in Gaza. We also discuss the historical relationship between oil politics and Israel, including the Iraq-Haifa pipeline and the Balfour Declaration. Charlotte also recounts her decades-long investigation into the death of her father, Daniel Dennett, who was killed in a 1947 plane crash while working on Middle Eastern and African intelligence and oil-related matters. She explains why she believes the crash may have been sabotage and how researching his death led her to what she calls the "Great Game for Oil." Other topics include the Iraq War and 9/11, the trans-Arabian pipeline, Keystone XL, the growing energy demands of AI data centers, Trump and Big Oil, the Israel lobby, the attempted murder of three Palestinian students in Vermont, and Charlotte's concerns about the future of American democracy. This is a wide-ranging conversation about oil, pipelines, intelligence, war, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the often-overlooked material interests that Charlotte argues sit behind Middle Eastern geopolitics. Follow Charlotte Dennett's work at her Substack, Who Benefits? Cui Bono?, and check out her book Follow the Pipelines.