The Freedom Report

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast is our viewer mail edition, where we answer the best questions taken from our readers. From sex, drugs, marriage, abortion, advertising, Ron Paul, Rand Paul, hot dogs, the TPP, the TPA, Jack Hunter, and questions about the cosmos, this podcast has it all. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this special episode of the Freedom Report podcast, and don't forget to subscribe on iTunes!

We answered the following questions and more: 

Victoria Carla Nevarez Will you marry me?

Zaid Islam What are your views on abortion and why is it so?

Frank Saunders Are the Christian (or monotheist) libertarian and atheist libertarian truly allied and working for the same outcome?

Steven Snyder Is it me or is it the "Libertarian Party" is no longer the party of Ron Paul?I would get in discussions with people on the LP FB page and they came off as another wing of the Democrats.

Brian McGovern When will you be getting rid of the mobile redirect ads on the website. I don't visit much anymore, because it always takes forever to come back and find the article I'm trying to read.

Bill Arevalo Why don't you own a semi auto rifle? Do you hate freedom?!!!

Cory Soulier To how small of a degree do you think government should get? What's your cutoff?

Anthony Garrett Do you agree that Tom Hardy was a beast in Mad Max: Fury Road?

Nicole Bilous Is there anything big I can do to bring libertarianism to Canadian politics?

Steven Snyder Boxers or briefs?

Victoria Carla Nevarez Why are you hating on Ted Cruz so much? Is it because you hate freedom?

Robert Griffis When it comes to the ladies, do you prefer quality over quantity or vice-versa?

Della Sala Ohana How do you feel about transgender Fallon Fox fighting against women in MMA? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallon_Fox

Caroline Kozar Nordlund Why isn't there more media attention on TPA, TPP? Coincidence. ..or coverup?

Jason Stenack Would you be willing to find out how many federal laws there are on the books in the US as well as our rival countries to see where we actually stand in our level of freedom against them? Meaning, the more laws you have on the books the less free you are. Do you think that is even a good measurement of freedom? Furthermore, do you think we'd have more or less than say, Russia, China, or Iran? If we did have more than those countries or even a few countries what do you think that says about America still being the land of the free and do you think it would change people's perceptions any if that were the case? I often wonder this and suspect we have more laws than some of the countries we often chide as being anti-freedom.

Cliff Jones Can you provide an historical example of a limited government that has not grown uncontrollably?

Lily Sikes If you could remove any amendment from the constitution, what would you remove and why?

Will Stanton Austin, do you believe a Libertarian Foreign Policy is completely irrational or even undesirable given the current crisises overseas?

Joseph Vida Is there any connection between Jack Hunter changing course on the Confederate Flag and Rand Paul taking a similar stance.They have a very deep history together as friends.Some speculate Jack is doing things for political reasons,to help Rand.Actually my friend Blake made a comment on both of them that leaves me questioning the sincerity of Jack.Anyway,I enjoy your podcasts and look forward to seeing which questions you answer.

Andrew Mike I'm a new listener and reader, so maybe you answerd this question already but, were you always a Libratarian? If not, what were you prior?

Ian Overton Is Victoria Carla Nevarez really a white guy from Ohio with a roofing company?

Chuck Flurry In regards to the origins of the universe, we are

Senator Rand Paul's bold flat tax proposal made waves when it was released this week, but Ted Cruz has supported a flat tax for some time. Why does Paul get all the credit, while Cruz is seen as the also-ran? 

Today's Freedom Report podcast dives into the upcoming summer budget battles which will pit grassroots conservatives against establishment Republicans. Cruz and Paul aren't likely to succeed in achieving significant cuts to the budget, but both have a chance to win the hearts of the grassroots by bucking the establishment of their party. 

Cruz and Paul agree on quite a few issues, but disagree on those where substantive policy reforms put set Rand Paul apart as distinct from Cruz. Paul's filibusters on drones and the NSA have made him a darling of the liberty movement, while Cruz has set himself as more traditional conservative. Will the grassroots be forced to pick sides against one another? And if so, would that mean eventual defeat for both coalitions if a challenger such as Jeb Bush continues to lead in the polls? 

Also, Cruz's recent flip-flop on the TPA trade deal has some conservatives and libertarians wondering if he's changing positions out of principle, or political expediency. The Texas senator was widely criticized by his base for initially supporting the TPA, but now calls it a "corrupt" deal. Will Cruz say or do anything to win the presidency? 

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President Obama spoke out against violence in the wake of the tragic shooting in Charleston, South Carolina on Twitter. Obama said there was "no other advanced nation on Earth" that tolerated mass shootings. “When Australia had a mass killing – I think it was in Tasmania – about 25 years ago, it was just so shocking the entire country said ‘well we’re going to completely change our gun laws’, and they did. And it hasn’t happened since.”

Australia banned automatic, semi-automatic, and pump action shotguns after a mass shooting in 1996, which saw 35 people killed and 23 wounded. Obama was not optimistic that he would be able to push similar measures in the United States. “I don’t foresee any legislative action being taken in this Congress,” he said. “And I don’t foresee any real action until the American public feels a sufficient sense of urgency and they say to themselves, ‘This is not normal, this is something that we can change and we’re going to change it’.”

Obama followed up his statements with a tweet that read: "Here are the stats: Per population, we kill each other with guns at a rate 297x more than Japan, 49x more than France, 33x more than Israel."

President Obama's numbers come from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The data he used is old, however, coming from 2007. It's also not standardized, and another set of data from the World Health Organization shows slightly different results, albeit still the same trend in overview. 

But are utilitarian arguments against guns enough to justify the decimation of a principle? Today's Freedom Report podcast looks at the history of the 2nd Amendment in light of many of the quotes from the founding fathers on the subject, as well as an overview of the nuances of the law. 

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Defending Confederacy Opposite Interests and Ideology of Liberty

by Josh Guckert

Every political movement must overcome obstacles in its infancy. As libertarian philosophy begins to take over significant portions of both the general public and Republican Party electorates, we must diligently ponder what messages we are sending. The way which we are interpreted, fairly or not, can be critical in determining just how successful our mission will be. For that reason, we must always be attentive in what we use and how we decide to exemplify libertarianism.

This examination is pressed into the forefront of our movement against the backdrop of the tragedy in Charleston. One evil man killed nine innocents. Meanwhile, on the grounds of the state's capitol building, the same Confederate battle-flag that he had featured on his license plate continues to fly.

While most Americans view this flag as a symbol of slavery and racism, some in the South believe it to be a marker of their "heritage," thus indicating the rebellious streak which the Confederacy had enlisted against the Union—supposedly in a similar fashion to the revolution which the American colonists had raised against the British Empire.

Though in the mainstream, the debate usually boils down to a matter of North against South, there has long been the same debate in libertarian circles. While there is a much higher degree of skepticism of President Lincoln and the Union's actions during the war within our movement as a whole, some go as far as to side with the Confederacy, thereby praising it as the "right side" of the war effort. These libertarians claim that the Southern states were only exercising their Constitutional rights to secede and that Lincoln was not concerned with the moral dilemma of slavery, only preserving the Union.

This seemingly odd pairing appears to stem out of the natural contrarian streak within the liberty movement. However, we should do our best to dissociate libertarians from anything relating to the Confederacy. In short, not only is the Confederacy an example of a country founded upon the most un-libertarian of institutions (slavery), its meaning and symbols do nothing to advance our causes and principles, and make our foreign and novel ideas seem all the more outlandish to ordinary men and women who we need to recruit to become a major political force.

Perhaps because it is the cause of the Civil War which is predominantly taught in schools, some libertarians refuse to acknowledge that slavery was the main reason behind the South's secession. If there were any doubt, as Cato Institute Fellow Jason Kuznicki points out, those Southern states who actually gave their reasons for secession (Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas) explicitly referenced the purpose of preserving slavery. Furthermore, any attempt to latch onto "states' rights" fails in that the South had historically used federal power to preserve and expand the wicked institution of involuntary servitude.

Most interesting of all is that the Civil War seemed to be fought by the Confederacy in the same manner which many libertarians (appropriately) critique modern American foreign policy: the wealthy and well-connected chose to fight a war to preserve their economic interests, enlisting the poor and middle-class, all the while telling them that a false narrative of "patriotism" or "defense of freedom" was the reason for the war.

It is worth noting that the North was in fact guilty of anti-liberty transgressions before, during and af

Racism, Guns, Drugs & Psychopaths

Charleston, SC - Dylann Roof is in custody after having been located by police in North Carolina. The nation mourns the death of 9 people, who were killed when Roof opened fire on the congregation at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast takes a look at the potential motivations of Roof, including his ideology, family history, past behavior, and drug use. Roof was apprehended while one Suboxone, which is a pain medication given to people addicted to heroin. The drug has been linked to outbursts of aggression. He was also found to be carrying, LSD, meth, and cocaine. Were these powerful drugs the cause of the crimes, or just the stimulant needed for an already troubled brain on the edge?

We also look at Roof's racist history, and his association with the ideals of white, southern nationalists. Roof's proud bearing of the flag of the Confederacy casts a grim shadow on the white racists of the deep south. Today's show looks at the problems of white racism, and asks whether the rise of neoconfederate sympathizers is stirring up hostility against blacks in America. 

And what about the gun question? President Obama immediately blamed the shooting on the ease of access of guns in America, saying that they don't have these kinds of mass killings in other countries. But is that really the case? Today's episode fact checks Obama's claims, and discusses what the real issue is when it comes to gun crimes in America, and around the world.

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Celebrity entrepreneur Donald Trump announced his run for president yesterday, and the Freedom Report podcast is here to tell you exactly what we think. 

The Donald's blustery rhetoric has some people on the right fired up, however. The New York Post's editorial board wrote a glowing review of Trump's populist message, praising him for his capitalistic zeal. If only it were true that Trump were the man they're trying to convince us he is. 

RELATED: 7 Reasons Donald Trump Should Be President

In an appearance on the David Letterman show, Trump was blindsided by the host, who questioned him about his products manufactured in China, right after Donald bemoaned the fact that China was going to become an economic superpower. 

And that's not all, kids. The Freedom Report podcast gets into even more gory detail about the presidential candidate, telling the story of how the casino tycoon tried to use the government to bully an old woman out of her home. That, and a litany of other transgressions against liberty have these libertarians wanting to dump Trump.... Or just say... "You're fired!" 

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Rachel Dolezal's outing as a white person pretending to be black has some comparing her story to Caitlyn Jenner. Is there such a thing as transracial? Today's Freedom Report podcast looks at the comparisons between those claiming to be transgender, and those who are transracial. Are the two stories similar, or are they worlds apart? 

Dolezal's story differs significantly from Jenner's, in that one is accused of lying and being deceitful, while the other simply prefers to live a different lifestyle without receiving any special benefits for doing so. Jenner may not be a woman when defined by genetics, but her transition requires nothing of the greater public in terms of public services. Dolezal however, received a full ride to Howard University while identifying as black, as well as laid claim to minority victim status while stating that she was the victim of hate crimes of dubious merit. 

Tangentially related is the story of conservative author George F. Will, who was once pilloried by leftists after he wrote a column about how liberals are creating a culture of victimhood as a coveted victim status. "... when they say campus victimizations are ubiquitous (“micro-aggressions,” often not discernible to the untutored eye, are everywhere), and that when they make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges, victims proliferate."

Doesn't the case of Rachel Dolezal perfectly embody that statement? After all, wasn't Rachel Dolezal's real transgression against black culture that she was not only entirely appropriating it, but that she was seeking out the "benefits" of being a "victim" while having not lived the life of despair which would supposedly justify special privileges being conferred? 

So, what does it take to make a woman? And can a white person be black if they choose? Subscribe to the Freedom Report on iTunes, and leave us a 5-star review!

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast zeroes in on Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. During a speech at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the former Hewlett Packard CEO outlined her belief in free market solutions to problems women face in modern society. 

Fiorina's vision includes bold solutions such as offering over the counter access to birth control, which ironically Planned Parenthood opposes because it means women would have to pay for their own. Fiorina argues that expanding access in such a way allows the market to solve health problems while keeping costs low. “We have loads of data that support that when you put something over the counter, the costs plummet dramatically,” she said. “And so I really think this is a specious argument on the Democratic side. Frankly, I don’t understand why they’re not supporting over-the-counter birth control. I think it’s completely illogical.”

Much of Fiorina's focus has been on attacking Hillary Clinton, but she'll need to have a broader strategy if she wants to poll in higher digits so that she will qualify for the Republican presidential debates. Only the top 10 candidates in the polls will be included, and Fiorina suffers from a lack of name recognition that might deep six her candidacy before she can even get it off the ground. 

Libertarian listeners would do well to educate themselves about Fiorina, who's unorthodox positions on the War on Drugs have set her apart from the other candidates, save for perhaps Rand Paul and Rick Perry.

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Reddit bans 'Fat People Hate,' other subreddits under new anti-harassment policy

By: Ryan Carrillo

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Ellen Pao, CEO of Reddit, or Chairman Pao as some users on Reddit have taken to calling her, put her stamp on the popular website as many feared she would.

Yesterday Reddit began banning community forums known as subreddits in accordance with an anti-harassment policy adopted in May.

The following is the announcement that was posted yesterday.

You may have heard of Ellen Pao from her failed gender discrimination case against Venture Capital firm Kleiner Perkins. Pao alleged the firm denied her a promotion because of her gender but after 2 days of deliberation the jury dismissed the charges.

Some interesting information about Pao emerged from testimony and emails during the trial, however. Work emails revealed her to be a callous and resentful employee who bullied her colleagues. Strange that she now wants to police Reddit for bullies, or perhaps this is just her scratching her itch and taking it out on Reddit users she doesn't like?

The largest of the banned subreddits was /r/fatpeoplehate, which was the 13th most active community on the website.  The subreddit was a place where fat people and the fat acceptance movement were routinely mocked. That particular subreddit had over 150,000 people subscribed.

The banning of the forum didn't quite go as planned when users began flooding the entire site with fat people hatred and satire. This event has been dubbed, "The Fattening."

At the time of writing, the Reddit front page /r/all, which displays all the content on reddit, even subreddits you aren't subscribed to, has been inundated with posts about the outrage of /r/fatpeoplehate being banned. All the mods from that subreddit have been "shadowbanned" (shadowbanning is when reddit moderators secretly ban you, the site appears perfectly normal to the shadowbanned user but none of their activity, upvotes, comments, or posts show up to other users) along with every possible iteration of the fatpeoplehate name, fatpeoplehate 1-11, obesepeopledislike, etc.

The other four subreddits initially banned were /r/hamplanethatred (3071 subscribers), r/transfags (149), r/neofag (1239) and r/shitni**erssay (219).  While certainly offensive, users are claiming that some of those communities don't fit the criteria for banning that Reddit put out in its announcement.

Reddit is also apparently banning people posting pictures of Ellen Pao. 11 of the top 25 posts on /r/all are from a subreddit called /r/punchablefaces and they are all of Ellen Pao. Shockingly that subreddit continues to exist while other new and much smaller subreddits like /r/paoiskillingreddit have been banned.  9 of the top 25 are about the banning, the remaining spots are posts mocking the reddit admins as fat, accompanied by various pictures of land whales, hamplanets, and butter golems.

This is turning into a serious problem for Reddit with many users saying they are now going to move to a similar site called Voat. Others are claiming they will no longer advertise with Reddit or buy Reddit gold, and many users are asking people to install Adblock plus in an effort to dry up ad revenue for Reddit.

According to Breitbart:

There are early indications that the Reddit admins may have finally crossed the Rubicon on the road to alienating their user base. User activity on their main competitor, Voat.co had been ri

A study from an insurance company in the United Kingdom found that women were more likely to lie than men. The results showed that four out of five females were found to lie up to 30 times a day, or at least twice every hour, compared to two out of five men, who admitted to lying at least every day. But the problem is... what if the respondents were lying? 

Insurance company Privilege polled approximately 2,000 people and found that the most prevalent lies were those about how good a friend or relative's cooking was. People also frequently lied about their job, weight, or how much money they make. They also lie to impress a potential mate by saying they share a hobby. 

Most of the lies are believe to be lies that are meant to spare someone's feelings, which is what most people conclude from the study which showed women to be far more frequent liars than men. It's believed that little lies are ways to keep peace amongst a community, and that since women are more empathetic, they will look for ways to keep people at ease. 

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast takes a look at the study and compares it to issues surrounding lie detector tests, as well as lies about orgasms. Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a 5-star review!