The Libertarian Institute - All Podcasts

David Henderson joins the show to talk about the consequences of war for the American economy and the world political order. Henderson explains that many of the intrusive powers the state has today are the result of major crises, during which the state seizes some new power, and then after the crisis gives up much of that power again—but not all of it. Over time these powers accumulate into the government we have today. The nascent income tax, for instance, was raised all the way to 77% for top earners during World War I, and then 'generously' lowered closer to modern levels after the war ended. Railroads were nationalized around the same time, and then privatized afterward but with much more regulation. Henderson identifies three crises that had the most impact in this area: World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. War in particular has dire consequences for government power, as demonstrated by the rise of Hitler's fascism in Europe and numerous socialist regimes in the East, all as a direct result of the aftermath of World War I. He advocates a return to defense, rather than offense, which would not only save American taxpayers billions each year, but would also avoid the blowback with which we've become all too familiar.

Discussed on the show:

"War-Fighting and the Loss of Liberty" (LibertyLawSite.org)

David R. Henderson is a Research Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution and former professor of Economics at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of The Joy of Freedom: An Economist's Odyssey. Read his work at DavidRHenderson.com and AntiWar.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #210, I discuss a brief ceasefire in Afghanistan. The ceasefire held for three days at the end of the Islamic holy month. After the ceasefire expired, fighting resumed with the Taliban killing as many as 50 Afghan soldiers. 

I address the massive Department of Defense. The DoD will grow as Trump announced the creation of the Space Force. Amazon is a front-runner for getting a $10 billion contract to provide cloud services to the Pentagon. The Pentagon has expanded and is carrying out more offensives in cyber warfare. 

Links

FPF #209 - Killing Yemen

FPF #207 - Understanding Colombia with Brian Saady

Vets for Peace - Palestine

Tim Shorrock joins Scott to discuss his recent trip to Singapore to report on the negotiations with North Korea. According to Shorrock the negotiations are a good thing—but you won't get that from listening to the American media. Pundits on both sides of the aisle are trying to undermine Trump's and Jae-in's efforts at diplomacy because peace on the Korean peninsula would undermine the influence of the American Empire. Democrats especially, supposedly anti-war in principle, oppose troop withdrawal, a move that Shorrock says makes their position even further to the right than South Korea's far right-wing party. Will North Korea denuclearize? Scott and Tim are undecided, given that nearly all countries that acquire nuclear weapons retain them. Both, however, are optimistic that good things will come from the negotiations.

Tim Shorrock is the author of Spies For Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing and a regular contributor to The Nation and the Korea Center for Investigative Reporting. Follow him on Twitter @TimothyS.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump Meets Kim, Averting Threat of Nuclear War—and US Pundits Are Furious" (The Nation)

Spies For Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Ramzy Baroud returns to the show to discuss his latest book, The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story, the propaganda coming from both the American and Israeli media, and the changing nature of the conversation around Palestine. Baroud, a harsh critic of Obama's, Trump's, and the United Nations' strategies toward Israel, explains what the U.S. is doing wrong, and how the few good things are often "too little, too late."

Baroud argues that the terms "conflict", and even "occupation", are incorrect, and that the only accurate way of viewing the situation is as colonization by a secular state. The terms we use have implications in international law and influence any potential solution.

Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza. His new book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net.

Discussed on the show:

"Beating the US "Veto": Palestinians Need Urgent Protection from Israel" (AntiWar.com)

"'Every bullet has a precise address' – another Israeli journalist justifies the massacre" (Mondoweiss)

Razan al-Najjar

"Israel’s Premature Celebration: Gazans have Crossed the Fear Barrier" (RamzyBaroud.net)

"The Colonization of Palestine: Rethinking the Term 'Israeli Occupation'" (AnitWar.com)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash, The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF#209, I recap the Yemeni Civil War. The war has raged since the Saudi-led coalition began its bombing campaign in 2015. The war has devastated the people of Yemen and sparked the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. The people of Yemen are subject to a blockade that prevents food, fuel, medicine, and even journalists from entering the country. The blockade is supplemented by an indiscriminate air war on Yemen’s civilian infrastructure. I break down the humanitarian crisis, the critical US role in the war, and the ongoing catastrophic attack on Hodeida.

Links

Scott Horton Show - Eric Eikenberry 

FPF - Will Porter on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen

Sheldon Richman, Executive Editor of the Libertarian Institute and author of TGIF "The Goal Is Freedom" every Friday on the Institute's site, is interviewed on his new article "Trump, North Korea, and Vietnam".

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash, The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Aaron Maté, host and producer of "The Real News" and author for The Nation, is interviewed on his new article "The Mueller Indictments Still Don't Add Up to Collusion". Alleged Russian interference in the US Election, Paul Manafort's crimes, Michael Flynn, and James Clapper and John Brennan's involvement in the Russian investigation is all discussed in a wide ranging interview.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash, The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #208, Marko Manjanovic joins the show to discuss the failures of Stalin's centrally planned military leading up to WWII. The failures amount to the USSR having the most losses on one side of a war. While the Red Army had the equipment and technology to defend against the German invasion, poor strategic decision making allowed the Germans to have early success on the battlefield. Marko and Kyle discuss how the centrally planned military created the environment where the USSR took devastating losses during 1941. 

In the show, we discuss Marko's article Stalin Gifted Hitler Victory in 1941 and it Cost Millions of Russian Lives. Marko is the deputy editor at Russia-Insider.com. His website is CheckPointAsia.Net.

Mike Swanson is interviewed on the economy, boom bust, investing and his article "Is Today Going to be the Day that Jerome Powell Brings a Dovish Surprise?"

Mike Swanson runs the website wallstreetwindow.com and is the author of the books Strategic Stock Trading and The War State. He also is affiliated with the Neopolis Media Group, which is a group of historians, educators, authors, researchers, and free speech advocates who endeavor to provide original and engaging content, including The Ochelli Effect, and The Lone Gunman Podcast.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash, The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Eric Eikenberry, Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Yemen Peace Project, is interviewed on his article for Lobelog, "The Magical Thinking Behind an Attack on Hudaydah". The situation in Yemen is discussed, as well as the UN plan for Al Hudaydah, and the imminent UAE and coalition offensive on Al Hudaydah.