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David Swanson discusses Pearl Harbor with Scott, an event that has become sanctified as a U.S. holiday, and, worse than that, is used as part of the perpetual narrative that America is always the victim and every war we fight is just. Swanson unveils some of the true history of the attack on Pearl Harbor, beginning with the fact that Roosevelt's administration had numerous warnings and lots of intelligence that the Japanese were planning an attack. Newspapers in Hawaii were even predicting it several days in advance, and yet little was done to prepare. Swanson believes this is evidence that Roosevelt was looking for a way to get the U.S. into the war, particularly after repeated failed attempts to goad Germany into a similar attack. World War II's legacy as the "just war", explains Swanson, has done lasting damage to the American consciousness, as it is continually used to justify war in general.

Discussed on the show:

"The Ancient Mythical Rites of Pearl Harbor Day" (DavidSwanson.org)

"Tomgram: Aviva Chomsky, Making Native Americans Strangers in Their Own Land" (TomDispatch.com)

RMS Lusitania

McCollum memo

A Dangerous Idea

David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, radio host, and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. He is the author of War is a Lie and When the World Outlawed War. Find him on Twitter @davidcnswanson.

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Karen Kwiatkowski was one of the whistleblowers on the malfeasance of intelligence agencies leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, recently documented in Rob Reiner's film, Shock and Awe. Kwiatkowski explains that the American people are usually inclined toward an anti-war position, and they voted for candidates like Bush Jr., Obama, and Trump in part because all promised less war and no nation-building. She hopes that the obvious reality that none of them follow through on these promises will wake people up to the fact that it doesn't much matter who's in the white house. In fact, she explains that the dichotomy on war is no longer Left vs. Right, but young vs. old. There are newer coalitions among both Democrats and Republicans that oppose America's foreign wars, while older senators and representatives support the war state regardless of their political parties. Kwiatkowski bemoans the fact that House Democrats are in such a good position to force President Trump to end the wars—or at least prevent him from starting new ones—but almost certainly will do no such thing.

Discussed on the show:

Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence

Shock and Awe

"In Rumsfeld’s Shop" (The American Conservative)

Abu Zubaydah

Why We Fight

Stand For The Troops

LewRockwell.com archive

"The new Pentagon papers" (Salon)

"The Lie Factory" (The New Yorker)

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Karen Kwiatkowski is the recipient of the 2018 Sam Adams Award for her work exposing the lies told in the lead-up to the Iraq War. She is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and worked in both the Pentagon and the NSA. Read her acceptance speech here.

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Sheldon Richman comes back on the show to talk about his recent article on Ukraine, and another recent Libertarian Institute article on Pearl Harbor. He outlines some of the history of FDR's involvement in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, explaining how much evidence there is for the fact that his administration was looking for a way to get the United States involved in the war, and only chose Japan after failed attempts to provoke an attack by Germany. Many claim that U.S. intervention in World War II was critical in preventing Japan from occupying all of East Asia, and Germany from taking over Europe. Scott and Sheldon consider the counterfactual, wondering whether that wouldn't actually have been better for the world, given the horrors of Stalin and Mao, who were empowered by the fall of Germany and Japan. They were probably the two worst men to ever hold political power in terms of the number of civilians they murdered. Today America finds itself in a similar situation, as forces in the government lobby for the addition of Ukraine to NATO, a move that Russia has promised would provoke a military response. Richman is very clear that war with Russia means nuclear war, and must be avoided at all costs. He worries that all the talk of President Trump being a puppet of the Russians may simply goad him into greater bellicosity.

Discussed on the show:

"TGIF: War Over Ukraine?" (Libertarian Institute)

"FDR’s Pearl Harbor Fabrication: A Rebuttal" (Libertarian Institute)

Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy

Day Of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor

"Nyet Means Nyet: Russia's Nato Enlargement Redlines" (WikiLeaks)

Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #283, I discuss the crisis in Yemen. Senator Chris Murphy recently wrote the US is assisting in the creation of hell on Earth in Yemen. The Senate is set to debate a bill that could invoke Congress' Constitutional War Making Powers to end the US support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen. The Houthi and Saudi backed government are meeting in Sweden. Some small progress has been made in the talks. 

Links

Mark Perry - Sudan's role in Yemen 

Chris Murphy - US creating Hell on Earth in Yemen

Robert Naiman of justforeignpolicy.org joins Scott to talk about efforts in the senate and the house to end the Saudi-led war in Yemen using the War Powers Resolution. Naiman explains that there are two wars going on, both of which the United States is involved in: one is the explicit U.S. campaign against AQAP, loosely and perhaps legitimately justified by the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, while the other is led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but with U.S. support. The house and senate resolutions target American participation in the latter war without touching the former. Some say this is a loophole that the government would use to justify the war against AQAP, but many activists, including the ACLU, say that that is expressly not the case, and since the worst atrocities are happening as a result of the Saudi war, that's the one we should focus our immediate efforts on. Naiman encourages everyone to call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121.

Discussed on the show:

War Powers Resolution

S.J.Res.54

H.Con.Res.138

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists

savethechildren.org

"US Involvement in Yemen" (ACLED Data)

S.720 - Israel Anti-Boycott Act

Americans For Peace Now

"The Lobby" (Al Jazeera)

Robert Naiman is Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy and president of the board of Truthout. He helped write The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire. Find him on Twitter @naiman.

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Trita Parsi talks about President Trump's efforts to use sanctions to pressure the Iranian people into overthrowing their government. Parsi and Scott believes this strategy is futile, likening it to the possibility of Americans overthrowing our entire system of republican democracy out of frustration with a particular president. Trump initially boasted about how well his oil sanctions were working, but the Iranian economy quickly rallied, partly due to waivers allowing 11 countries to keep buying Iranian oil. Parsi worries that these sanctions could be a tepid attempt at "diplomacy" (not actually what sanctions are), which those who favor war with Iran can then point to as evidence of the need for armed conflict.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump's international anti-Iran coalition looks like it's falling apart. He doesn't have a back-up plan." (NBC)

Jamal Khashoggi

Maryam Rajavi

"NBC Report: Israel and the MEK Responsible for Deaths of Iranian Nuclear Scientists" (American Conservative)

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Scott Horton returns to FPF to discuss the legacy of George HW Bush. After his death, he has received overwhelming praise from establishment media. Scott explains how Bush handled the fall of the USSR and breaks down Bush's great failure in Iraq. Scott answers a few questions about Afghanistan.

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

SHS - Barry Lando on Iraq War I

On FPF #281, Will Porter returns to the show to discuss recent events that target Julian Assange. An article in the Guardian falsely claimed that Assange met with Paul Manafort three times and the US appears to have an indictment of Assange prepared. Will debunks the article's false claims. Kyle and Will explain the importance of Wikileaks and dangers of the persecution on Assange. 

Links

Will Porter - The Guardian's Latest Assange Smear Backfires

Retired U.S. Army Col. Andrew Bacevich, author of the new book, Twilight of the American Century, joins the show to talk about the nomination of retired general John Abizaid as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which Bacevich says should be an occasion to reflect on what has gone wrong in the terror war—but likely will not be. Bacevich says that conservatives have not been forthcoming about their errors in supporting the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, even when they make small concessions about certain features, as Max Boot and John McCain did recently.

Discussed on the show:

"Our Man in Riyadh" (Antiwar.com)

"When David Brooks’ Dreams Don’t Work Out" (The American Conservative)

"The Redirection" (The New Yorker)

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Journalist Barry Lando talks about the history of American hostilities in Iraq, beginning with Saddam Hussein's invasion of the oil fields of Kuwait after Kuwait refused to forgive Saddam's debts from his war against Iran. Lando explains that Saddam had been led to believe the United States wouldn't intervene if he invaded. This was probably out of ignorance on the part of the American government, who didn't expect him to move beyond the oil fields that bordered Iraq, but it's also possible the Bush administration knew this would happen, and deliberately provoked a conflict anyway. Propaganda during the war insisted that Americans were engaging only in targeted bombings using sophisticated technology, when in reality almost all of the bombs were the regular kind, with all the collateral damage they incur. In fact, the military deliberately destroyed vital civilian infrastructure, which, combined with economic sanctions, caused the deaths of some 300-500 thousand children. This war also gave rise to Al-Qaeda, suggests Lando, and thus set us up for all of the current terror wars.

Discussed on the show:

"Poppy Lit the Fire: Bush and Iraq" (Counterpunch)

Invasion of Kuwait

Nayirah testimony

Anfal genocide

Highway of Death

Badr Organization

Barry Lando is a journalist, author, and former 60 Minutes producer. He wrote Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush. Read his blog here.

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.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.