Scott talks to Matt Agorist about some recent cases of unlawful police killings and police abuse in this country, both the high-profile incidents and the ones that escape mainstream notice. Agorist reminds us of the details of the Breonna Taylor case, in which police officers who were actually looking for Taylor’s ex-boyfriend fatally shot her in the middle of the night while executing a no-knock warrant. The ex-boyfriend, it turns out, had already been arrested by that point. One officer has been charged for recklessly shooting into neighboring apartments, but the rest of the officers have thus far escaped any consequences. Sadly, this is just one case among many, most of which never receive the kind of attention that Breonna Taylor’s case has. Agorist discusses many other such incidents, along with some of the obstacles to reform.

Discussed on the show:

“WATCH: ‘We Don’t Have a Crime’, Cops Stop Man Without Probable Cause, Hog Tie, Kneel On Him Until He Dies” (The Free Thought Project)

“City Sends Mental Health Experts to 911 Calls Instead of Cops and It’s Worked 100% of the Time” (The Free Thought Project)

“‘Please Don’t Let Me Die’: Woman Hog-Tied, Tortured by Sadistic Cop for Over 20 Minutes” (The Free Thought Project)

“Cop Sexually Assaults Child During Traffic Stop, Gets Only 14 Days in Jail, Won’t Register as Sex Offender” (The Free Thought Project)

“Cop Admits to Sexual Abusing 2 Young Girls, Instead of 30 Years, He Got Just 60 Days in Jail” (The Free Thought Project)

Matt Agorist is an independent journalist and Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. He is also a former marine and NSA intelligence operator. Follow him on Twitter @MattAgorist.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd8P0oHcbCU

Scott interviews Daniel Davis about his new book, Eleventh Hour in 2020 America, which explores the unhealthy expansion of the U.S. military over the last few decades, to the point that America’s very future as a democratic republic is at risk. Davis begins the interview by detailing how America built up its military into the world’s most efficient and advanced fighting force, epitomized by his experiences in the first Iraq War—a war that Davis calls a “success” by the military’s standards. But the cost of an easy, quick and overwhelming victory, he says, was that America became imprudent, believing that it could act as the world’s police without any repercussion. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, of course, have proven that that was untrue. Not to mention, adds Davis, that the constitution gives the government no right to engage in this kind of foreign adventurism. Davis also reminds us that the world doesn’t really need a police force: for the most part, every country only wants to ensure that its own borders are secure from external threats, and is otherwise happy to get along peacefully with everyone else. A true defense force and a passive nuclear deterrent, he says, would be more than enough to ensure this.

Discussed on the show:

Eleventh Hour in 2020 America: How America’s foreign policy got jacked up – and how the next Administration can fix it

Matthew Hoh’s Resignation Letter

“Truth, lies and Afghanistan” (Armed Forces Journal)

A Foreign Policy Of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, And Honest Friendship

The Putin Interviews

“10/9/20 William Smith: How Empire is Destroying the American Republic” (The Libertarian Institute)

“Debunking the safe haven myth” (Defense Priorities)

“Iraqi Pandora, by Justin Raimondo” (Antiwar.com)

“Army Colonel Challenges Pentagon’s Afghanistan Reports” (The New York Times)

Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjdDJMsglik

Scott interviews Charles Glass about Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Glass has focused on Assange’s treatment at the hands of the U.S. and British governments and their allies, including his subjection to solitary confinement, the denial of medical treatment going back to Assange’s time in the Ecuadorian embassy and the illegal monitoring of communications with both his lawyers and his doctors. On these grounds alone, says Glass, Assange’s prosecution should be thrown out. But more importantly, Glass reminds us how heroic Assange’s work has been, as it has enabled literally thousands of news stories that exposed crimes by governments around the world. Instead of contributing to his demonization, mainstream news outlets should be flocking to Assange’s side.

Discussed on the show:

“The Illegal Campaign to Eliminate Julian Assange” (The Intercept)

Collateral Murder

“DNC Email Leak” (WikiLeaks)

Charles Glass was Chief Middle East Correspondent for ABC News from 1983 to 1993. He is a regular contributor to TIME magazine, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, the Intercept, and many others. His most recent book is called They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFL4hMjhMOo

Ray McGovern discusses the lasting impact of the “Russiagate” conspiracy, which Democrats have continued to push throughout President Trump’s entire first term. McGovern reminds us that according to recorded testimony released only this year, CrowdStrike (the technology tasked with investigating the DNC email leak) admitted all the way back in 2017 that they had no evidence for the allegation that Russian agents had perpetrated any sort of hack. That means that a narrative that has continued to dominate the mainstream media and Democratic political discourse for three years was known to have absolutely no basis in fact. McGovern fears that the very same tactics used to rein in Trump could be turned around and used on Biden, were he to defeat Trump later this year. Although McGovern strongly opposes the Trump presidency, he regrets the fact that a Biden victory would most likely mean that this whole scandal gets swept under the rug.

Discussed on the show:

“Comey’s Amnesia Makes Senate Session Unforgettable” (Antiwar.com Original)

“RAY McGOVERN: Trump Orders Russiagate Documents Declassified” (Consortium News)

“04/07/17 – Jeffrey Carr on the pushback against CrowdStrike’s claims of Russian election hacking” (The Scott Horton Show)

“Shades Of The Cold War: How The DNC Fabricated A Russian Hacker Conspiracy To Deflect Blame For Its Email Scandal” (patricklawrence.us)

Fear

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJdlV3l2VMg

Scott talks to William Smith about the threat to republican government posed by America’s growing world empire. The founders of this country, Smith explains, knew that perpetual war would lead to the uncontrolled growth of government power, and that meddling in foreign affairs would lead to decline and ruin at home. More recently, Eisenhower warned about the same things in his celebrated military-industrial complex speech. In a recent piece, Smith warns about the use in the 2020 presidential campaign of an artificial intelligence tool originally developed for counter-insurgency tactics in Afghanistan. Smith hopes that Americans will demand a return to the principles of restraint codified by our founding documents before it’s too late to reverse the damage that’s already been done.

Discussed on the show:

“How empire is destroying the American republic” (Quincy Institute)

“Randolph Bourne: War is the Health of the State” (Mises Institute)

“Foyle’s War (TV Series 2002–2015)” (IMDb)

Transcript of President George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

National Security and Double Government

William Smith is a senior research fellow and Managing Director at Catholic University’s Center for the Study of Statesmanship. He received his PhD from Catholic University and has 25 years of experience in government and the corporate sector.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meCVwskMkxc

Scott talks to Harry Kazianis about America’s relationship with North Korea. Kazianis argues past much of the noise surrounding the effort to get North Korea to denuclearize, proposing instead that America actually could tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea, just like we do most of the other countries that have them. Kazianis reminds us that nuclear weapons for North Korea are primarily about survival for the Kim family; the U.S. simply does not go to war with nuclear-armed countries. Accepting this fact, he says we should just do everything we can to make peace with the North Koreans and not give into all the neoconservative blustering about the need to rid the world of oppressive dictators.

Discussed on the show:

“Yes, we can live with a nuclear-armed North Korea” (The Quincy Institute)

The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir

Harry Kazianis is director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest and executive editor The National Interest. He previously served as editor of The Diplomat, a fellow at CSIS, and on the 2016 Ted Cruz foreign policy team. Follow him on Twitter @GrecianFormula.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icluq-smrhQ

Reason Magazine’s Matt Welch follows up on Scott’s Jacob Sullum interview with his own case against Donald Trump. The clearest point to hit Trump on, says Welch, is probably his complete abandonment of curtailing government spending, as he has presided over the biggest budgets in American history. Welch also notes that despite Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric—which, he admits, has done a good job moving Republican voters toward the anti-war position—he has done fairly little to actually bring troops home and end America’s endless wars. Finally, Trump’s trade policies have accomplished little other than make goods more expensive for Americans and embolden protectionist policies in other parts of the world.

Discussed on the show:

“The Case Against Trump: Donald Trump Is an Enemy of Freedom” (Reason)

“The Case Against Biden: Joe Biden’s Politics of Panic” (Reason)

“10/9/20 Jacob Sullum: The Case Against Joe Biden” (The Libertarian Institute)

The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

“10 foreign policy questions that should be asked at the presidential debate (but probably won’t)” (The Quincy Institute)

Rage

Obama’s Wars

Matt Welch is editor at large at Reason Magazine. He is the author of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong with America and McCain: The Myth of a Maverick. Follow him on Twitter @MattWelch.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enPAZUigeoY

Reason Magazine’s Jacob Sullum discusses the case against Joe Biden, including his record on crime, the war in Iraq and the surveillance state. Sullum focuses on Biden’s history as a “tough on crime” democrat, explaining the ways Biden worked closely with senate Republicans during the 1980s to pass laws creating differential sentencing for crack and powder cocaine, establishing mandatory minimums and abolishing parole. Sullum says that Biden wanted to position himself as a moderate, who could attract conservative voters and even attack Republicans from the right. Any reconsideration of his former positions, Sullum adds, have been very recent changes in the face of a Democratic electorate that has moved much further to the left.

Discussed on the show:

“The Case Against Biden: Joe Biden’s Politics of Panic” (Reason)

Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden

“Violent Crime Control Act of 1991 ” (C-SPAN)

Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason Magazine. He is the author of Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use and For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health. Follow him on Twitter @jacobsullum.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO-P4JTMtjw

Danny Sjursen explains the complicated situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a piece of Azerbaijani territory that has been under de facto Armenian control since the 1990s. Nagorno-Karabakh is the result of Stalin’s territorial divisions, which very often failed to conform to ethnic lines, leaving an ethnic Armenian supermajority in what had become a foreign country. Both sides have fought over the territory for years, but an uneasy truce has held ever since the conclusion of a six-year war in the 80s and 90s. In the last few days, however, violence has broken out again, and Sjursen fears that war hawks in the U.S. will call for American intervention. He is adamant that America has no dog in this fight, and as with most conflicts this far from home, we should do the sensible thing and just stay out of it.

Discussed on the show:

“No Dog in the Fight: Nagorno-Karabakh’s Conflict Isn’t About Us (or Russia)” (Antiwar.com Original)

“Born on the Fourth of July (1989)” (IMDb)

“The New Cold War With Russia Is All America’s Fault” (Antiwar.com Original)

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He is the author of Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge and Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War. Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxvfCNVFiCg

Scott interviews Andy Worthington about his testimony in Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Worthington reminds us how important the revelations in Chelsea Manning’s Guantanamo Files leak were, stressing just how much harm has been done to the dozens of men held, and often tortured, there—including the 40 who are still detained today. Assange, says Worthington, is not a hacker or a hostile intelligence actor; he is simply a heroic journalist working to expose government crimes to the people.

Discussed on the show:

“Rasul v. Bush” (Oyez)

“The Guantanamo Files” (WikiLeaks)

Andy Worthington is the author of Guantanamo Files and the director of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo.” Read his work at the Future of Freedom Foundation and AndyWorthington.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @GuantanamoAndy.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzNO9IwY-7g