Doug Bandow discusses the creation of the Vandenberg Coalition, the latest in a long string of neocon think tanks that do little more than promote American interventionism halfway across the world. Bandow reminds us of two strong motivating factors behind this strain of foreign policy: On one hand, there really are a lot of true believers in the American empire—people who think that the U.S. military is a force for good in the world that spreads democracy and maintains relative peace through supremacy. On the other hand, there’s also a huge amount of money to be made for special interest groups as long as the wars keep going. Ending America’s imperial interventionism, then, will require that people see both the human cost of war and also the massive economic costs to everyone except those special interests.
Discussed on the show:
“Washington War Party Creates Another Organization to Promote Endless Wars” (Cato Institute)
Scott talks to Heather Brandon-Smith of the Friends Committee on National Legislation about the effort to repeal the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force. Although the 2002 AUMF has been less widely cited as grounds for America’s ever-expanding wars in the Middle East than the 2001 version (which authorized the war in Afghanistan), it has been used to justify the war against ISIS in Iraq and the Trump administration’s assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, among other operations. Brandon-Smith is hopeful that the Biden administration is serious about rolling back some aspects of the war on terrorism, and she and her colleagues at FCNL are working to push the anti-war momentum in the right direction.
“With 20th Anniversary of 9/11 Nearing, Biden Team Debates How to End War on Terror” (Foreign Policy)
Heather Brandon-Smith is Legislative Director for Militarism and Human Rights at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Prior to joining FCNL, Heather served as the Advocacy Counsel for National Security at Human Rights First. Follow her on Twitter @HBrandonSmith.
Trita Parsi talks about the possibility of diplomatic talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which he views as a consequence of the Biden administration’s somewhat less aggressive stance toward the Middle East. People often allege that American military involvement abroad keeps the world safer; in reality, Parsi explains, it is only when the U.S. pulls back from conflict that countries must resort instead to diplomacy. He hopes Biden will make a commitment to ending some of America’s forever wars and, above all, find a solution to the desperate humanitarian crisis in Yemen that America helped cause.
Discussed on the show:
“Why Mohammed bin Salman Suddenly Wants to Talk to Iran” (Foreign Policy)
“The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah – Foreign Policy” (Foreign Policy)
Scott talks to Tom Collina about the alarming plan to expand America’s nuclear arsenal. The $2 trillion package, Collina explains, would include a large investment in what’s known as the “nuclear sponge”: a collection of ICBMs in America’s heartland designed to draw a nuclear attack from America’s enemies, rather than one targeted at Washington D.C. or other major cities. But this policy actually makes things far more dangerous, says Collina, since there’s then tremendous pressure to fire these land-based ICBMs before they’re struck. And if that strike turns out to be a false alarm, the U.S. could accidentally start a full-scale nuclear war. This kind of accident, Collina insists, and not a preemptive strike, presents the greatest danger of nuclear war.
Discussed on the show:
“$264B for ICBMs That Would Be Destroyed in the Ground? No, Thanks” (Defense One)
Tom Collina is Director of Policy for the Ploughshares Fund, a nonprofit combatting the spread of nuclear weapons. Collina writes for The National Interest, The Independent, Defense One, and many other publications. Find him on Twitter @TomCollina.
Aisha Jumaan discusses the situation in Yemen. Although the Biden administration claimed earlier this year that it would end American support for Saudi “offensive operations” in Yemen, they have recently announced that certain support functions—like providing maintenance and spare parts for the Saudi air force—will continue. But this bald-faced reversal, says Jumaan, isn’t even the main issue. Yes, the Saudis are killing innocent Yemenis in air strikes and other direct attacks, but by far the biggest threat to the health and safety of Yemeni civilians today is the Saudi blockade, which continues to stop critical goods like food and medicine from getting into the country. Those who care about ending this U.S.-sponsored humanitarian crisis must forcefully oppose continued American support for the war in all its forms.
Discussed on the show:
“Biden “Continues to Support Saudi Aggression on the People of Yemen”” (accuracy.org)
“In Yemen ‘Diplomacy is Back.’ What Next?” (Newsweek)
“Murphy Chairs First Subcommittee Hearing on Yemen” (murphy.senate.gov)
Scott interviews Andy Worthington about Guantanamo Bay, America’s secret black site prison, where 40 men are still being held, some of them without ever having been charged with a crime. President Obama famously campaigned on closing Guantanamo, but ultimately was unable (or unwilling) to do so. President Trump, too, allowed the atrocious human rights abuses to continue throughout his administration. Worthington is optimistic about the possibility of change, but if the American people continue to turn a blind eye to this issue, things may simply carry on indefinitely.
Scott talks to Dan Gifford, producer of the famous film, Waco: The Rules of Engagement, about the tragedy of the Waco siege, all the government and media lies to cover it up and what really happened behind the scenes. Gifford shares his decades of experience looking into this topic, including all the times when the government tried to shut him up.
Discussed on the show:
“What Really Happened At Waco And The Establishment Collusion to Cover It Up” (Dan Gifford)
“Will ABC really tell us what happened at Waco?” (Patch)
Dan Gifford is a national Emmy-winning film producer and former reporter for CNN, The MacNeil Lehrer News Hour and ABC News. Check out his work on IMDb or his website, DanGifford.com.
Gareth Porter discusses the recent announcement that the Biden administration will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year. This is obviously a violation of the May 1 withdrawal agreement made under the Trump administration, but Porter is optimistic that Biden and his team are serious about getting out by this fall. Scott and Porter also talk about the latest negotiations in Vienna regarding American sanctions and the Iran nuclear deal. Porter worries that the U.S. is taking too hard a line, thinking they can get away with continued sanctions, and that the negotiations may fall apart as a result.
Scott interviews Edward Hasbrouck about the effort to finally abolish America’s “selective service” requirement, the modern-day remains of what was once the draft. Hasbrouck explains how, after Nixon abolished the draft in the 1960s, Jimmy Carter reinstituted the system we have today, partially to combat national anxiety over the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis. Hasbrouck says that what the draft really is is an assurance to America’s war planners that there will always be an unlimited supply of infantry troops to fight any war the government decides to wage. Taking this power away means putting some of the power to decide when the U.S. will actually fight a war back in the hands of the American people, where it belongs.
Discussed on the show:
“‘Selective Service Repeal Act’ Introduced in Congress” (Antiwar.com)
I’m doing two events this Saturday: WRMEA and IRmep‘s End Support for Apartheid Israel Conference at 1:00 PM Eastern and a speech to the Washington LP later that afternoon in Seattle with Peter R. Quinones,Matt Kibbe,Angela McArdle and others.
US News The Biden administration says it supports allowing the WHO to distribute the IP for covid vaccines. [Link] New DNA evidence strongly suggests Ledell Lee was wrongly executed in 2017. [Link] Police officers got qualified immunity after they bullied a...
I'm doing two events this Saturday: WRMEA and IRmep's End Support for Apartheid Israel Conference at 1:00 PM Eastern and a speech to the Washington LP later that afternoon in Seattle with Peter R. Quinones, Matt Kibbe, Angela McArdle and others.
The Biden administration has gone back on its word to cease construction of Donald Trump's border wall and the associated eminent-domain actions for property that stands in the way of that wall. Although candidate Biden promised to stop the wall and end the...
I started the old Weekend Interview Show on Radio KAOS 95.9 FM in Austin, Texas on April 12, 2003, three days after the fall of Baghdad. First up was Antiwar.com's heroic Alan Bock. Number 5,500 was of course with the Great Gareth Porter. Full archives here and at...
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts will speak and take questions at the only annual national conference challenging the Israel lobby's repressive agenda while proposing better alternatives for America. IsraelApartheidCon is solely sponsored by the...
Aisha Jumaan discusses the situation in Yemen. Although the Biden administration claimed earlier this year that it would end American support for Saudi "offensive operations" in Yemen, they have recently announced that certain support functions—like providing...
Scott interviews Andy Worthington about Guantanamo Bay, America's secret black site prison, where 40 men are still being held, some of them without ever having been charged with a crime. President Obama famously campaigned on closing Guantanamo, but ultimately was...
Scott talks to Dan Gifford, producer of the famous film, Waco: The Rules of Engagement, about the tragedy of the Waco siege, all the government and media lies to cover it up and what really happened behind the scenes. Gifford shares his decades of experience looking...
Gareth Porter discusses the recent announcement that the Biden administration will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year. This is obviously a violation of the May 1 withdrawal agreement made under the Trump administration, but Porter...
50 Minutes PG-13 Aaron is one of the hosts of the Timeline Earth podcast. Aaron joins Pete to talk about how Marx's Class Theory can be used by Right-Wing Anarchist/Libertarians to radicalize other libertarians and normies alike. Timeline Earth Podcast Get Autonomy 19...
51 Minutes Some Strong Language Stacie is an attorney and host of The Dissent on YouTube. Pete invited Stacie to come on and expose some of the more interesting points in the file that the average person may gloss over. She finishes revealing information she has...
59 Minutes PG-13 Tommy Salmons is the host of the Year Zero podcast and a contributor at LibertarianInstitute.org Tommy has been doing in-depth research on what the World Economic Forum is calling the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He discusses his finding with Pete....
40 Minutes PG-13 John Bush is an entrepreneur and one of the co-hosts of Pete's side-podcast, Unloose the Goose. John joins Pete to talk about some of the basics of cryptocurrency and an upcoming online course he's offering titled, "Demystifying Crypto." Link to...
On COI #102, Kyle discusses the rampant police abuse by American and Israeli security forces. In the US, a police officer dislocated an elderly woman's arm, then was recording laughing about it. Another officer shot a man ten times after he mistook a phone for a gun,...
On COI #101, Will and Kyle update stories on Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine and the problem-plagued F-35 fighter jet. The F-35 program's executive officer admitted to lawmakers last week that a major system upgrade had been placed on a "strategic pause" as developers...
For the 100th episode of COI, Scott Horton of Antiwar.com joined Kyle and Will to discuss Joe Biden's declared plan for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11. Scott also gives his read on mounting tensions in Ukraine, where the government has threatened a...
Patrick MacFarlane – host of Liberty Weekly – returns to the show to discuss Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction and a DC medical examiner finding that Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes. The guilty verdict for Chauvin came after a weeks-long...
https://youtu.be/uMLA1uLwIDo ... the natural lot of mankind, at least since our expulsion from Eden, is mass starvation — starvation that can only be overcome by steady hard work, by productive capital investment, and by creating the conditions and social institutions...
https://youtu.be/Rv4r7EW5hxc Government is the very negation of charity, for charity is uniquely an unbought gift , a freely fl owing uncoerced act by the giver. Murray N. Rothbard Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market, p. 1228 Isabella Riley on Twitter:...
https://youtu.be/lzTFflUmNY4 ... men can become more moral only through rational persuasion, not through violence, which will, in fact, have the opposite effect. Murray N. Rothbard Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market, p. 1319 PDF here:...
https://youtu.be/3KOu67NqLKo ... science itself must not make value judgments, but confine itself to judgments of fact, since ultimate ends can be only sheer personal preference not subject to rational argument. Murray N. Rothbard Economic Controversies, p. 20...
This last Friday, I joined Shaine Scalph of What's HAPAning for a marathon livestream. We discuss several topics, such as Biden's gun control measures, my recent feature article at the Libertarian Institute regarding the Chinese Uyghurs, the problem with civil...
On January 19, 2021 during the Trump administration’s twilight hours, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslims of the Xinjiang region of western China. The press statement alleged:...
https://youtu.be/0TRTwK7Top8 In February, I joined James Jenneman of Blackbird to discuss a ton of topics: the future impacts of covid, masks, the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, conspiracies, crypto, the Gestapo, and my Grandpa, the John Bircher. In this episode...
https://youtu.be/bIQmAOWHeDQ Too often are liberty folks made to apologize for their beliefs or to default to the defensive. We should never be ashamed to advocate for the cause of liberty. Conversely, the burden of proof is not on us to justify a free society. Lew...
The Huntsman joined Tommy to discuss the supply chain, shortages, and logistics in order to better inform the public as to why they are experiencing more scarcity and higher prices. Donate The Huntsman on Twitter
Tommy asked John Odermatt to join him to discuss his transition from Felony Friday to Finding Freedom. They cover criminal justice, FBI, CIA, and have a great all around conversation. Lions of Liberty Run Your Mouth Coffee promo code Year Zero for 10% off JB Wilmatt...
Tommy invited Mike Maharrey on to discuss the federal reserve and how it's used to enslave the masses. Schiff Gold Tenth Amendment Center Godarchy Mises Institute Donate
