The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Historian Gar Alperovitz shares the history of America's use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Contrary to what most of us learned in school, many of the top military officers and intelligence officials were adamant at the time that use of the bombs was unnecessary to get the Japanese to surrender, which they expected to happen as soon as the Soviet Union invaded. The bombs were used instead as a political maneuver to intimidate the Russians, but which of course only led to the disastrous arms race of the cold war.

Discussed on the show:

"The War Was Won Before Hiroshima—And the Generals Who Dropped the Bomb Knew It" (The Nation)

Potsdam Conference

"The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)" (IMDb)

Sly and Able: A Political Biography of James F. Byrnes

The Tragedy of American Diplomacy (50th Anniversary Edition)

Gar Alperovitz is a historian, political economist, activist, and writer. He has taught at the University of Maryland, Cambridge University, and Harvard and is the author of Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam and The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb. Follow his work at his website www.garalperovitz.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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott interviews Philip Weiss about Israel's occupation of Palestine and the way the Palestinian people have been completely deprived of their rights there. Weiss is glad that the recent fiasco around Rashida Tlaib's and Ilhan Omar's visit to Israel has brought publicity to the BDS movement, but is baffled that most Americans are either unaware of Israel's gross abuses, or simply don't care.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump is parroting Zionist doctrine: U.S. Jews must be loyal to Israel" (Mondoweiss)

"Political Upheaval Over Tlaib and Omar Shows the Power of BDS | Common Dreams Views" (Common Dreams)

"’50-year-old Palestinians… have never lived in freedom their whole lives,’ Rivera says on Fox, defending Tlaib" (Mondoweiss)

Philip Weiss is the long-time editor of Mondoweiss.net. Follow him on Twitter @PhilWeiss.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Jacob Hornberger explains why the American president has become a democratically elected dictator, largely through the president's power to manage the economy by threatening businesses, negotiating trade agreements with foreign countries, and issuing executive orders that impact the way private companies run their businesses. Donald Trump has put this on display the way few previous presidents ever have, but his protectionist policies are also a big part of what got him elected by middle-American workers who feel left behind by the so-called "Obama recovery."

Discussed on the show:

"Donald Trump, Democratic Dictator" (Future of Freedom Foundation)

"Why No Congressional Investigation into Epstein’s Intelligence Connections?" (Future of Freedom Foundation)

National Security and Double Government

"Our Enemy, the State" (Mises Institute)

Jacob Hornberger is the founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation. He’s written numerous books on freedom, peace, and the JFK assassination. Follow him on Twitter @JacobHornberger.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott talks to Peter Van Buren about the effects of war on American culture. They discuss the fact that America has been at war almost constantly for its entire history, ever since the nation was formed by overthrowing the British. Having an external enemy supposedly allows people to put their differences aside and feel unity as a country, but it comes at the cost of money, lives, and an ever-increasing encroachment of government power into the private sphere. Van Buren also discusses his recent article about the bombing of Hiroshima, and the ways the government and military sought to bury the truth from the American public.

Discussed on the show:

"Don’t Whitewash the Hiroshima Bombing" (The American Conservative)

"The Untold History of the United States" (IMDb)

"The decision to use the atomic bomb" (Harper's Magazine)

The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner

Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

The Intercept's Trevor Aaronson joins the show to talk about the travesty of justice in the trial of Hamid Hayat, who has finally been released after nearly 15 years in prison. Hayat was an alleged terrorist, convicted based on a coerced confession he gave to FBI agents under duress, as well as recordings from his conversations with an FBI informant who had pretended to befriend Hayat's family. Hayat is just one of many such cases of U.S. government entrapment, which make up the majority of supposed terrorism prosecutions.

Discussed on the show:

"Reporters Questioned His Terror Prosecution. Now He's Free." (The Intercept)

"The Confession Tapes" (Netflix)

"Lodi Man Describes Terrorist Training" (LA Times)

"US-led coalition 'killed 1,600 civilians' in Syria's Raqqa" (Al Jazeera)

Trevor Aaronson is a contributing writer for The Intercept and executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. He is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism. Find him on Twitter @trevoraaronson.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Gareth Porter explains why the claim that the Russian government "hacked all 50 U.S. states" is false—namely, the states themselves know that their systems were intact! The narrative has nonetheless been pushed continuously, as democrats try to justify Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss by any means necessary.

Discussed on the show:

"U.S. States: We Weren’t Hacked by Russians in 2016" (The American Conservative)

"Russia Targeted Election Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds" (The New York Times)

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott interviews Cato's John Mueller about why it's time to leave Afghanistan. Fundamentally, the Taliban cannot be defeated at any remotely acceptable cost of American lives and U.S. dollars, says Mueller, and at the same time military interventions has only made the Al-Qaeda problem—America's original enemies—even worse. Fortunately, it seems like President Trump might see ending the war in Afghanistan as a possible path to reelection.

Discussed on the show:

"Overcoming Inertia: Why It’s Time to End the War in Afghanistan" (Cato Institute)

"Life under the Taliban shadow government" (Overseas Development Institute)

John Mueller is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a senior research scientist with the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University. He is the author of Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them , Atomic Obsession: Nuclear Alarmism from Hiroshima to Al-Qaeda, and many others. Follow his work at the Cato Institute.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Alan Kuperman explains the true story of the 2011 civil war in Libya, which the United States famously and disastrously supported. Contrary to the narrative that this uprising was started by regular, educated citizens like doctors and lawyers, Kuperman and his research assistants discovered that the key actors fomenting revolution were actually Al-Qaeda veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Kuperman reflects on the dangers of reckless use of American military force throughout the years.

Discussed on the show:

"America's Little-Known Mission to Support Al Qaeda's Role in Libya" (The National Interest)

"False pretense for war in Libya?" (The Boston Globe)

"Did the R2P Foster Violence in Libya?" (Genocide Studies and Prevention)

"Hillary Clinton Libya war genocide narrative rejected by U.S. intelligence" (Washington Times)

Alan J. Kuperman is a professor of public affairs at UT Austin and the author of The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention: Genocide in Rwanda. He co-edited Gambling on Humanitarian Intervention: Moral Hazard, Rebellion and Civil War and has written for The National Interest, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and others.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Max Blumenthal explains how the policies of the Obama administration, pushed by Joe Biden in particular, have fueled the migration crisis in Latin America we see today. Notably, America gave material support to the Colombian regime that massacred thousands of innocent civilians and dressed them as guerrilla revolutionaries in order to claim they were winning the war, and thereby get more aid from the U.S. Biden also supported brutal regimes in Honduras, El Salvador, and other countries, whose instability have caused millions of people to flee their homes for America's southern border. The ultimate irony is that in this sense, Biden's policies were directly responsible for the election of Donald Trump.

Discussed on the show:

"Joe Biden Fueled the Latin American Migration Crisis" (Consortium News)

Plan Colombia

"False positives" scandal

"Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father’s Campaign? | The New Yorker" (The New Yorker)

"Opinion | Joe Biden: A Plan for Central America" (The New York Times)

"'The coup turned Honduras into hell': President Manuel Zelaya on 10th anniversary of overthrow by US" (YouTube)

Director and writer of “Killing Gaza,” Max Blumenthal is a senior editor of the Grayzone Project and the author Goliath, Republican Gomorrah, and The 51 Day War. Follow Max on Twitter @MaxBlumenthal.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott talks to Jim Bovard about Bill Clinton's bombing campaign in Serbia twenty years ago, which at the time was widely heralded as a triumph of the "forces of good." It was also, apparently, something that Bill Clinton did as a way to appease Hillary after the fallout from the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The entire narrative of "ethnic cleansing" that was put forth as justification for American intervention turned out later to have been overblown, with, in actual fact, casualties (and some atrocities) on both sides of the civil war but little evidence for the purported one-sided genocide.

Discussed on the show:

"America’s Benevolent Bombing of Serbia" (Future of Freedom Foundation)

Hillary's Choice

"Hillary Clinton-Style Social-Worker Liberalism Has Some Dark Areas" (LA Times)

Rambouillet Agreement

Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion and Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years

Khobar Towers bombing

1998 United States embassy bombings

Camp Bondsteel

Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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