The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

William Arkin comes back on the show to discuss continuity planning in the U.S. government. He notes that the measures being taken in Washington D.C. to ensure the integrity of a constitutional government during an emergency are somewhat at odds with the steps that the highest ranking politicians are themselves taking. For example, even as helicopter teams stand at the ready to evacuate the chain of command at a moment’s notice, President Trump and Vice President Pence have not separated themselves in the way that might usually be expected during a crisis. In addition to evacuation, there are many other measures being taken that the the public isn’t aware of in the slightest. This leads to a tension that is of great concern to Arkin: If continuity of government is not a pressing concern right now, why are we devoting so much money and so many greatly needed personnel to the effort? And if it is something we should be worried about, why is it being conducted so secretly that it seriously undermines public confidence that the rule of constitutional law will be upheld?

Discussed on the show:

“Exclusive: As Washington DC Faces Coronavirus Spike, Secret Military Task Force Prepares to Secure the Capital” (Newsweek)

Rex 84

Operation Garden Plot

Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy

William Arkin is a military intelligence analyst, activist, author, journalist, academic and consultant. His award-winning reporting has appeared on the front pages of The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He is the author of American Coup: How a Terrified Government Is Destroying the Constitution. Follow him on Twitter @warkin.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://dissentradio.com/radio/20_04_17_arkin.mp3Podcast (thescotthortonshow): Play in new window | Download

The following is an automatically generated transcript.

Show Transcript

Scott Horton 0:00

For Pacifica radio, April 19 2020. I'm Scott Horton. This is anti war radio.

All right, you guys, welcome to show. It is anti war radio. I'm your host, Scott Horton. I'm the editorial director of anti war calm and author of the book fool's errand time to end the war in Afghanistan. If I my full interview archive, or the 5000 of them now going back to 2003 for you at scotthorton.org dot org. All right, you guys introducing William Arkin, this time writing for Newsweek, of course author of the book, American coup, and we spoke about a month ago about the military's preparedness for the worst case scenario with outbreak of the Coronavirus here. And now he's got a follow up article about it in Newsweek as Washington in DC faces Coronavirus, Spike secret military Task Force prepares to secure the Capitol. Welcome back to the show. Bill. How are you doing?

William Arkin 1:08

Hey, thanks for having me on. Again, Scott.

Scott Horton 1:10

Very happy to have you here and very interested in this piece. It seems like possibly the worst case scenario with the virus outbreak, at least for this spike has not come true. New York, of course, has been hit really hard and a lot of people have died. But I think we're probably expecting things to be probably a bit worse than they are. And yet in this article, it doesn't sound like that is reflected in the government's plans here. They seem to be what it begins, you say that, you know, they're worried about the plague crippling the capital, but I clicked on the Johns Hopkins map and it seems like the deaths are still in th...

Scott talks to Richard Booth about his investigative journalism into the real story behind the Oklahoma City bombing and its subsequent investigation. Booth goes over some of the main holes in the official narrative, which was largely constructed in order depict Timothy McVeigh as a lone actor because his likely co-conspirators—members of a well-known neo-Nazi group—are suspected to have had ties as government informants. This is at best embarrassing, and at worst criminal. All of Booth's great work is now available at The Libertarian Institute.

Discussed on the show:

"The Ultimate Okalahoma City Bombing Archive" (LibertarianInstitute.org/okc)

"Timothy McVeigh, Suspects, Visit Strip Club in Weeks Before Bombing" (The Libertarian Institute)

"The Secret Rulers of the World (TV Mini-Series 2001– )" (IMDb)

"Terror from Within (TV Movie 2002)" (IMDb)

Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed--and Why It Still Matters

The Secret Life of Bill Clinton: The Unreported Stories

"Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)" (IMDb)

"In Search of John Doe No. 2: The Story the Feds Never Told About the Oklahoma City Bombing" (Mother Jones)

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhlt_ynqcw4

Reason Magazine senior editor Jacob Sullum talks to Scott about some of the latest coronavirus news. He comments on President Trump’s headline-making claim that he has the sole authority to decide if and when the economy would reopen, which Sullum asserts really belongs to the governors. Trump has backed away from his claim, but he still appears to support making progress toward reopening businesses sooner rather than later. Doing so would probably be a good thing, says Sullum, since the economic toll of the current measures have already been devastating, and only continue to get worse. Sullum reminds us that political decisions are often made with respect to the obvious consequences, and rarely to the unseen ones. For us, this means that politicians are likely to be overcautious in shutting things down without properly considering the massive toll to both the economy and to human life that is sure to result from such drastic restrictions.

Discussed on the show:

“Trump Can Encourage States to Lift Their COVID-19 Lockdowns, but He Can’t Decree That Outcome (Reason)

“The ‘False Debate’ About Reopening the Economy Is the One That Ignores the Enormous Human Cost of Sweeping COVID-19 Control Measures” (Reason)

“U.N. warns economic downturn could kill hundreds of thousands of children in 2020” (Reuters)

“L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva Says Gun Dealers Are ‘Nonessential.’ The Department of Homeland Security Disagrees.” (Reason/)

Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason and a nationally syndicated columnist. 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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://dissentradio.com/radio/20_04_17_sullum.mp3Podcast (thescotthortonshow): Play in new window | Download

The following is an automatically generated transcript.

Show Transcript

Scott Horton 0:10

All right, shall Welcome to the Scott Horton show. I am the director of the libertarian Institute editorial director of anti war.com, author of the book fool's errand, time to end the war in Afghanistan. And I've recorded more than 5000 interviews going back to 2003, all of which are available at scotthorton.org dot org. You can also sign up to the podcast feed full archive is also [email protected]. Slash Scott Horton show. All right, you guys introducing Jacob solem. He is senior editor over at reason magazine. Welcome back to the show. Jacob How are you doing?

Jacob Sullum 0:48

I'm doing all right. Thanks for having me.

Scott Horton 0:50

It's almost a stretch to say back to the show because it's been so long but I really appreciate you joining us here today. And boy, we have a bunch of important stuff. To talk about but I think if it's all right, I'd like to start with this article that you wrote. And Trump can encourage states to lift their COVID-19 lockdowns, but he can't decree that outcome. And this is the story of how Donald Trump made 10 thurs out of the liberal media for a day earlier this week by declaring that he has some kind of total power. What is up with that?

Jacob Sullum 1:26

Well, Trump frequently asserts powers he does not actually Have I mentioned a few in that post things he said in the past, where he clearly does not have the power that he's claiming. This is another example of that. I mean, historically, it's clear that the primary responsibility for responding to epidemics through quarantines in particular but other measures as well rests with the states that is a power that was reserved to the States under the ...

Scott talks with Ramzy Baroud about the ongoing crisis for Palestinians in the West Bank, and in particular in the Gaza Strip, who face forced confinement and military occupation as parts of their daily lives. Baroud is reminded of the partial quarantine most Americans are facing today because of the coronavirus pandemic, and has been taking the opportunity to tell his story—and the stories of many like him—who spent their childhoods under a kind of quarantine as refugees. While sympathizing deeply with the hardships being faced all over the country, he and Scott hope that some Americans might come to see how inhumane life for the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli occupiers is, given how strenuous this much smaller taste of quarantine can be.

Discussed on the show:

“Israeli Forces Demolish Emergency Coronavirus Clinic for Palestinians” (Palestine Chronicle)

Israel Settlers Spitting on Palestinian Cars Raises Concern Over Attempt to Spread Coronavirus (Middle East Monitor)

“‘They Spit When I Walked in the Street’: The ‘New Anti-Semitism’ in France” (The New York Times)

“Edward Said: Permission to Narrate” (Abagond)

“A Palestinian Guide to Surviving a Quarantine: On Faith, Humor, and ‘Dutch Candy'” (Common Dreams)

Killing Gaza

“A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in ‘Quarantined’ Gaza” (Common Dreams)

“‘Zionist’ Biden in His Own Words: ‘My Name is Joe Biden, and Everybody Knows I Love Israel’” (Counterpunch)

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 and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. His new book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://dissentradio.com/radio/20_04_16_baroud.mp3Podcast (thescotthortonshow): Play in new window | Download

The following is an automatically generated transcript.

Show Transcript

Scott Horton 0:10

All right, y'all welcome it's Scott Horton Show. I am the director of the Libertarian Institute editorial director of antiwar.com, author of the book Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. And I've recorded more than 5000 interviews going back to 2003, all of which are available at ScottHorton.org. You can also sign up to the podcast feed. The full archive is also available at youtube.com/ScottHortonShow. All right, you guys welcome back to the show. On the line, I've got the great Ramsey Baroud from PalestineChronicle.net and he also is the author of These Chains will be Broken well, editor I guess. These chains will be broken Palestinian stories struggle and defiance in Israeli prisons. Welcome back to the show. How you doing Ramsey?

Ramzy Baroud 1:05

I'm doing great. Thank you for having me, Scott.

Scott Horton 1:08

Great, man. happy to hear that and very happy to have you back on the show. And I meant to mention, of course that we run almost all your stuff at antiwar.com dot com as well. And we got a few of those to talk about on the show today. But first of all, I wanted to start with this story from the Palestine Chronicle. Israeli forces demolish emergency Coronavirus clinic for Palestinians. It sounds so absurd that it must be true, I guess, in northern Jordan Valley. Can you tell us about that?

Ramzy Baroud 1:47

Well,

Nasser Arrabyee brings us the latest on the war in Yemen, where he says that a supposed recent Saudi ceasefire has actually meant very little on the ground. Arrabyee thinks the announcement was nothing more than a public relations stunt. Despite the looming threat of coronavirus, as well as another outbreak of cholera with the rainy season around the corner, both of which threaten to make what is already the world's worst humanitarian crisis even more of a disaster, the western media seem to be completely uninterested in covering what's going on there. President Trump, too, is unwilling to do what's right by ending America's support for Saudi Arabia.

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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

Scott talks to Colleen Moore about America's withdrawal from global nuclear arms agreements under the Trump administration. Part of the reason for Trump's keenness on pulling out of these agreements is his reputation as a tough negotiator who prioritizes America's interest and won't tolerate "bad deals," but he's also received nonstop allegations from the left for four years that he's a Russian puppet, which makes it very difficult to try to make peace with them. Luckily, nuclear arms reduction is an issue that 80% of Americans support, so Scott and Moore see a huge opportunity for politicians to make this a leading issue in the future.

Discussed on the show:

"Nuclear Arms Nightmare: Don't Let New START Die" (The National Interest)

Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety

"Command and Control (2016)" (IMDb)

Colleen Moore is the Digital Engagement Manager at Beyond the Bomb and Global Zero. Find her on Twitter @cmoo11_.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2zjzlhDm3Q

Gareth Porter discusses the parallels between the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and the 1918 Spanish Flu. Though it’s commonly called “Spanish Flu” Porter reminds us that it really originated in Kansas, where it was first spread to American troops at a training base, and then to Europe via the U.S. Army, before finally coming back to the United States in a much deadlier form. If the U.S. hadn’t entered the war and sent thousands of men overseas in cramped ships and trenches, the flu never would have become what it did. In fact, more American soldiers died from the flu in World War I than from bombs and bullets. Woodrow Wilson’s reckless enabling of the spread of this virus is just one example on his long list of egregious crimes, including lying the U.S. into the war, which tilted what had been a stalemate toward a decisive allied victory, which in turn led to the overly harsh terms of German surrender, ultimately enabling Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s. Without Hitler, of course, we never would have World War II, which is also what allowed Stalin to consolidate the Soviet Union, and probably allowed Mao and the other communist leaders of 20th century Asia to enact their brutal and genocidal regimes.

Discussed on the show:

“How Generals Fueled 1918 Flu Pandemic To Win Their World War” (The American Conservative)

The Zimmermann Telegram

Wilson’s War: How Woodrow Wilson’s Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II

Beer Hall Putsch

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: 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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://dissentradio.com/radio/20_04_10_porter.mp3

Podcast (thescotthortonshow): Play in new window | Download

The following is an automatically generated transcript.

Show Transcript

Scott Horton 0:10

All right, y’all welcome it’s Scott Horton shelf. I am the director of the libertarian Institute editorial director of antiwar.com, author of the book fool’s errand, time to end the war in Afghanistan. And I’ve recorded more than 5000 interviews going back to 2003, all of which are available at Scott horton.org. You can also sign up to the podcast feed. Full archive is also available at youtube.com/ScottHortonShow.

my very favorite reporter in the whole wide world, the great Gareth Porter, welcome back to the show, sir. How are you?

Gareth Porter 0:48

I’m fine. Thanks, God. Be back again. And thanks for having me. Very happy to have you here.

Scott Horton 0:53

Now everybody knows that Woodrow Wilson is the single worst person who ever existed. He’s the father of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. And for that matter, Pol Pot and Harry Truman and George W. Bush, and all of the worst butchers of human history. But one thing that he oftentimes gets away with is the Woodrow Wilson flew. They tried to call it the Spanish flu, even though it originated in Missouri. But the only reason it became a global pandemic at all is because of what you write about here in this great article at the American Conservative magazine, how generals, how Woodrow Wilson and his generals fueled the 1918 flu pandemic, to win, quote unquote, should be ironic quotes win their world war. So tell us just what happened here with this. Massive last, the last real global pandemic that broke out hundred and two years ago...

Tom Woods gives his thoughts on the government response to the coronavirus and the economic fallout that is likely to come afterward. Scott and Woods discuss the bizarre division along political lines of opinions about the severity of the virus, the proper response, and even the effectiveness of possible treatments. Both agree that Americans need to know the metrics by which they will be allowed to leave their homes and go back to work. Making a new, vague announcement about the shutdown every two weeks simply won't cut it.

Tom Woods is the host of the Tom Woods Show and the author of numerous books including Real Dissent. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEWoods.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3tcjmos4E4

Scott talks to Ray McGovern about the heroic Julian Assange, who is still languishing in solitary confinement during his extradition trial to the U.S. on charges that he coordinated with Chelsea Manning to steal classified documents from the U.S. government. McGovern reminds us of how many important truths have been exposed to the American people thanks to WikiLeaks, and wonders what calamities could have been avoided had WikiLeaks been around sooner, such as 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq. In both cases—much like in the current coronavirus crisis—there were officials who tried to warn presidential administrations of the coming danger, but were ultimately ignored. WikiLeaks may have been a last resort, as it was for Chelsea Manning.

Discussed on the show:

"What if Ignored Covid-19 Warnings Had Been Leaked to WikiLeaks?" (Antiwar.com)

"Collateral Murder" (WikiLeaks)

"Iraq War Logs" (WikiLeaks)

"Afghan War Diary" (WikiLeaks)

"State Department Cables" (WikiLeaks)

"The Guantanamo Files" (WikiLeaks)

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mxhK9i7BFk

Scott talks to Chip Gibbons about his research into FBI spying on nonviolent pro-Palestinian activist groups. Although these activists are made out to be dangerous terrorist sympathizers, Gibbons says that the actual evidence against them amounts to criminalization of political speech and some very questionable guilt by association. Unfortunately, these abuses of surveillance power are far from rare, as the FBI has almost no oversight from other branches of government. Political will to reform the Bureau is also practically nil, given that everybody wants to preserve the ability to use them for their own purposes when they take power.

Discussed on the show:

"US Government Still Spying on Dissent: A People's Briefing" (Institute for Policy Studies)

"FBI Investigated Nonviolent Pro-Palestinian Group for Terrorism" (The Intercept)

Chip Gibbons is a journalist whose work has been featured in In These Times and the Nation. He is also the policy director of Defending Rights and Dissent, where he authored the report "Still Spying on Dissent: The Enduring Legacy of FBI First Amendment Abuse." Follow him on Twitter @ChipGibbons89.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM6qRScSF0U