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Daniel Davis joins the show to talk about his recent article, "McMaster Uses Worn Vietnam Trope to Accuse Americans of Defeatism," which discusses the similarities between the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan. Afghanistan, says Davis, is just as unwinnable as Vietnam was, but today Americans are less aware of that fact than they were in the 1960s and 70s. Scott says America could have hunted down the Al-Qaeda members connected with the 9/11 attacks, declared a swift victory, and never even tried to fight a war against the Taliban, let alone establishing a new central government that will never stand.

Discussed on the show:

"McMaster Uses Worn Vietnam Trope to Accuse Americans of Defeatism" (The American Conservative)

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: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Gareth Porter explains the latest propaganda being used to drive a possible war with Iran. President Trump appears to have bought into the story that Iran wants to develop, and possibly use, nuclear weapons, but at least his ignorance, says Porter, is better than the outright malice of other hawks who might know that Iran is no real threat to the U.S. but want war anyway.

Discussed on the show:

"Do Iranian ‘Threats’ Signal Organized U.S.-Israel Subterfuge?" (The American Conservative)

Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times

Operation Inherent Resolve

"Is Bolton’s War With Iran Becoming A Reality?" (The National Interest)

Operation Desert Fox

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

On FPF #355, I talk about Memorial Day being used as propaganda for the wars. Common phrases like "they died for our freedoms" and "we are safe because of their sacrifices" are uttered by nearly everyone. The propaganda is effective in reducing criticism of US foreign policy because the legacy of the Americans who died fighting the wars is tied to the legacy of the war. I explain the best way to honor America soldiers is to not send them into meaningless wars. 

Links

It's legal to record cops

NYT lies about Hezbollah

NYT lies about Iran

Report on Indian torture in Kashmir

West Virginia State Legislator Pat McGeehan joins the show to talk about his "Defend the Guard" bill, a statewide attempt to prevent national guard troops from being called to fight overseas wars, something that the states are supposed to have control over. McGeehan hopes that if several other states follow suit with similar bills it will force the issue of the injustice in sending American men and women to die needlessly fighting endless wars in the middle east.

Discussed on the show:

"Defend the Guard Legislation" (Tenth Amendment Center)

NSC 68

Pat McGeehan is a two-term representative in the West Virginia House of Delegates and a graduate of the U.S. air force academy. He is the author of Stoicism and the Statehouse. Follow him on Twitter @McGeehan4WV.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott talks to Grant Smith about his work obtaining secret government documents by FOIA request. This time Smith has gotten a 640-page document outlining Bush administration intelligence on Iraq's nuclear weapons in the leadup to the Iraq war.

Discussed on the show:

"Lesson From FBI’s 'Niger Uranium Forgeries' File" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Chappelle's Show - Black Bush" (YouTube)

The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris

The Italian Letter: How the Bush Administration Used a Fake Letter to Build the Case for War in Iraq

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America and Divert!. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott Horton returns to FPF to discuss Assange, weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, and the new deployment of troops to the Middle East. Scott 'Fisks' the Assange indictment and explains who Julian Assage is a journalist. Scott and Kyle talk about Trump declaring a national emergency to sell more weapons to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The weapons will likely be used to commit genocide in Yemen. Scott breaks down Trump's announcement of sending 1,500 troops to the Middle East to combat the Iranian threat. 

Scott Horton is the host of the Scott Horton Show and the author of Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. He is the Editorial Director of Antiwar.com and the Managing Director of The Libertarian Institute.  

Links

Scott Horton - Assange Indictment

Professor Andrew Bacevich gives his take on the growing divide between the foreign policy views of the Washington political establishment and those of the rest of the country. Basically, he explains, Americans are sick of fighting endless wars in the middle east, but that's something that politicians, particularly presidential hopefuls, have not tried to parlay into effective campaign strategy.

Discussed on the show:

"Tomgram: Andrew Bacevich, What Illinois Bikers Know That Washington Doesn't" (TomDispatch)

Blood in the Water: How the US and Israel Conspired to Ambush the USS Liberty

Andrew Bacevich is a Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. He is the author of a number of books including America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History and is a regular contributor at The American Conservative and TomDispatch.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

https://youtu.be/RSJByyHMWD8

Keith Knight interviews Waco survivor David Thibodeau.

Buy David's Book "A Place Called Waco: A Survivor's Story"

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Scott talks to Phyllis Bennis about the Palestinians' Great March of Return, a protest against the unjust removal of Palestinians from their own land by the Israeli government. A huge problem, explains Bennis in a recent article, is the Israeli military's policy to shoot all protestors, even children, who approach the border fence. Because of the lack of good medical care faced by many Palestinians, thousands have had to have limbs amputated and hundreds have died.

Discussed on the show:

"Foreign Aid That Costs an Arm and a Leg — Literally" (OtherWords)

"Israel's War Criminals In Their Own Words, by Philip Giraldi" (The Unz Review)

"What does Israel’s new justice minister really think about Arabs?" (Haaretz.com)

"Resources on H.R. 2407, Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act" (Congresswoman Betty McCollum)

""A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm"" (zFacts)

Phyllis Bennis directs the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, focusing on Middle East, U.S. wars and UN issues. She is also a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. Find her on Twitter @PhyllisBennis.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

I was reading the news a few weeks ago and stumbled upon a bizarre headline. It read, "FL Senate gives right to grow veggies in the front yard a green thumbs up." As I read it, I really wanted to be happy. I love it when people grow their own food. In general, I love the thought of keeping everything that we need as close to home as possible rather than relying on government-controlled international trade routes for our daily needs. Being able to provide our own food, water, shelter, electricity, waste removal, etc. for ourselves is a huge step in the right direction. But, this article was not about that. This article was about the Florida Senate supposedly "giving" Floridians the "right" to grow vegetables in their front yard.

The reporting that I have heard on this story has been very positive as if we should cheer and thank the Florida state government for being so generous. But, I just don't see it that way. What was stopping people from planting gardens in their front yards previously? Were they physically unable to plant gardens in their front yard before? When their brains sent signals to their hands to plants seeds in the ground, did their hands refuse? No, of course not! The thing standing between people and their front yard gardens was the government, in this case, local governments.

Even though people already owned their homes and already had the capacity to plant gardens in their front yards, they were threatened with violence for doing so. One couple in Miami Shores faced fines of $50/day until they destroyed their front yard vegetable garden.

The reality is that the Florida Senate didn't give the people of Florida a new right. They didn't enable them to do something that they couldn't do before. By passing this bill, they were basically saying that they would no longer commit violence against people who planted front yard gardens. But, that doesn't make a very good headline, does it?

Rights, by definition, cannot be given or taken. A right is something inherent to you. I have the right to my body because it is mine. Nobody else can send signals from my brain to control my body. The only way that someone could override my right over my body is with violence. Same goes for the rest of my property. Because I invested my own life to receive my property, it is mine. I own it and what I do with that property is my right. The only way to force me to not do with my property what I want to do with it is to use violence against me.

Governments cannot give rights. They can only use violence to block you from exercising those rights. Any time you see an article about a government giving people rights, it means one of two things. First, it might be talking about a privilege. Governments grant privileges to their citizens, but those aren't rights, even though they are often called that. Second, it would mean that the government is saying that it will no longer use violence against people for exercising some right that they already had, like in this story about Florida.

I am not going to thank the government for graciously deciding to not hurt me for exercising my right to my own life and property. If someone beats you up and then stops, do you thank them for being so gracious to you? That would be crazy, and it is no different with government.

My life is mine to live, and your life is yours to live. We each have the right to decide what we do and don't do with our lives and property. Government may or may not use violence against us for exercising those rights, but as agorists hopefully we can find ways around them.

Originally posted at: https://technoagorist.com/7

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