Hey Everybody, in this one we’re interviewing libertarian presidential candidate Adam Kokesh. We had a good time on this cast and we hope you enjoy listening to it. I know we say it a lot, but you REALLY don’t want to miss this one.

Adam Kokesh was on this one but Adam Brown couldn’t make it so the ever faithful and resilient Elijah Boyd occupied his chair. Big props to Elijah.

Here’s a little about Adam:

Adam Kokesh was born on February 1, 1982 in California. Growing up he played sports every season and read numerous books at the encouragement of his parents. His interest in science and technology led him to many science fair victories and NASA’s Space Camp. After middle school, where he played trumpet in the band and basketball, at the encouragement of a friend of a parent who was a former Marine, he went to “Devil Pups,” a junior boot camp-style citizenship and fitness program hosted by the Marines at Camp Pendleton. In high school he participated in Model UN, taught silversmithing classes, and founded a campus radio station. During the summers he worked at a print shop and with horses. He is the only non-native to graduate from the Native American Preparatory School formerly of San Miguel County, New Mexico. He received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Claremont McKenna College where he played rugby, sang in the choir, and competed with the ballroom dance team.

Adam’s grandfather, Charles Henry Kokesh, was a pilot in World War II as one of the “Flying Sergeants,” was awarded a Silver Star, and was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Inspired by this and and the Marines he met in Devil Pups, Adam enlisted in the Marines while still in high school at the age of 17. He completed boot camp and Marine Combat Training in San Diego, Field Artillery School at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and NBC Training (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) in Texas. He was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal for his work as a Recruiter’s Assistant and played for the All-Marine Rugby Team. He volunteered to go to Fallujah in 2004 with a Marine Corps Civil Affairs team where he was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant. For his tour he received a Navy Commendation Medal and Combat Action Ribbon.

In 2007, Kokesh joined Iraq Veterans Against the War and helped bring the organization to national prominence as its most visible leader. He first came to national attention for holding up a score card during Alberto Gonzales’ testimony to Congress regarding the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys keeping track of how many times he said, “I don’t recall.” His photograph appeared in many national newspapers and resulted in dozens of TV interviews. He was later to become the story himself when prosecuted unlawfully by the Marine Corps (while he was in the inactive reserves) for staging a street theater protest that included a mock combat patrol, “to bring a small piece of the reality of war home to Washington, DC.”

Adam was an active supporter of Ron Paul and would eventually come to found and lead Veterans for Ron Paul, organizing a stunning march on the White House for vets to turn their back on Obama and raise awareness about military suicide. He was invited to speak at the 2008 Revolution March in DC organized by grassroots Ron Paul supporters and his speech that day is what put him on the map as a promising representative of the freedom movement.

After the debate on Iraq was won, Adam turned his attention to other freedom causes and continued his effective advocacy, organizing, and civil disobedience. He has been arrested over three dozen times for protesting, smoking cannabis, not smoking cannabis, cursing, filming on the sidewalk, and even dancing.