Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Angel Studios movie Sound of Freedom, starring The Passion of the Christ's Jim Caviezel and Academy Award-winner Mira Sorvino, has become the sleeper indie hit of the summer. It purports to be based on the true life exploits of Tim Ballard, a former Department of Home Security official, and his fight to save children from the scourge of human trafficking in Colombia. The movie has been described as akin to the First Blood/Rambo movie or the Liam Neeson-starring Taken franchise, but based on a true story. Journalists Damion Moore and Lynn Packer of American Crime Journal, however, have been on the beat with regards to Tim Ballard the organization he co-founded Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.; Ballard has since resigned or, depending on your interpretation, been forced out of the organization) for a number of years now. Their reporting tells a very different story and paints a less flattering picture of Mr. Ballard.

Damion Moore joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to unravel the true story of Sound of Freedom and Tim Ballard. We'll be covering the arrest of Earl Buchanan (the basis of the Tim Ballard/Sound of Freedom story), Mormonism, right-wing broadcaster Glenn Beck and his connection to Tim Ballard through the Nazarene Fund, the holes in Ballard's narrative and twisting of the truth, the "Rambo raid" story of Sound of Freedom vs. the reality, Sound of Freedom producer Eduardo Verástegui, how Sound of Freedom could harm/hurt efforts to fight human trafficking, the Jeffrey Epstein case, QAnon, the Wayfair child trafficking conspiracy theory, the Tim Ballard "White Board meeting" and profiteering/money-making, human/child trafficking cases (Elizabeth Frasier and Coco Berthmann), Utah attorney General Sean Reyes and his connections to Tim Ballard, Tim Ballard's during his days in the Department of Homeland Security and President Obama's record of immigrant deportation, American Crime Journal's coverage of the Eliza Bleu case, Tim Ballard's connections to Donald Trump, Tim Ballard and right-wing's "groomer" allegations against trans and LGBTQ+ activists, the problem with sensationalistic and tabloid true crime media and podcasts, and much, much more in this nearly 2 and a half hour conversation!

Photo of the Tim Ballard "White Board" referenced in this episode. Thank you Damion Moore.