The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Scott talks to Danny Sjursen, who has now finally retired after more than a decade in the U.S. army. Sjursen has been outspoken about his opposition to the American war state throughout most of his time in the military, and points out that the United States has lost on basically every single foreign policy goal since 9/11. He wonders when people will realize that they live under an empire, and finally reject all of the propaganda.

Discussed on the show:

"George Carlin Shell Shock" (YouTube)

"Empire of Absurdity: Recycled Neocons, Recycled Enemies" (Antiwar.com Original)

Somali Civil War (2006–2009)

A People's History of the United States

McCollum memo

The Soho Forum

"2/22/19 Chas W. Freeman on the Threat of Nuclear War with China" (The Libertarian Institute)

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

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.

Jim Bovard talks about the legacy of John McCain, who of course has only been lionized more than ever following his death and the controversy surrounding President Trump. The truth, says Bovard, is much more sinister.

Discussed on the show:

"John McCain's Disastrous Militaristic Legacy" (James Bovard)

Keating Five

Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam

"The story behind McNamara's Morons, Vietnam War's cruel experiment" (Big Think)

Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

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; 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 interviews Peter Van Buren about the Russia investigation, which he says is shaping up not to amount to much. Members of Mueller's team have started resigning already, and given the fact that they haven't found anything substantial in almost three years, Van Buren thinks there's nothing substantial to find. He conjectures that Mueller may try to bring President Trump up on charges of obstructing an investigation, but that wouldn't make a ton of sense since he would have been obstructing an investigation that didn't find any wrongdoing in the first place. Unfortunately, he says, an obstruction charge can mean just about anything the prosecutor wants it to mean.

Discussed on the show:

"Paul Manafort: Eulogy for a Straw Man" (The American Conservative)"NSA Spying" (Electronic Frontier Foundation)The FBI FilesColour revolution

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: 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.

Grant Smith joins the show to talk about his upcoming event, The Israel Lobby & American Policy Conference 2019, which will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 22. The conference features many prominent guests and will explore the lobby's powerful influence over American politics.

Discussed on the show:

Israel Lobby & American Policy Conference 2019The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign PolicyThe Yes MenBig Israel: How Israel's Lobby Moves America"I Was Kicked Off Birthright For Asking Questions About The Occupation – The Forward" (Forward)"Watch the film the Israel lobby didn't want you to see" (The Electronic Intifada)Israel's Armor: The Israel Lobby and the First Generation of the Palestine ConflictWashington Report on Middle East Affairs"“American neoconservatives: a history and overview” Jim Lobe" (YouTube)

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.

Nasser Arrabyee gives an update on the war in Yemen, where thanks to U.S. support for the Saudis an entire country is being starved and women and children killed in air strikes. So little attention has been paid to the war by the American media, public, and politicians that it has been allowed to go on for four years.

Discussed on the show:

Stockholm Agreement

War Powers Resolution

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: 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 Gareth Porter about war with Iran. Porter is still convinced most people realize that such a war would be so costly in lives and dollars that it's not even worth considering, but worries about National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has been able to get his hooks into President Trump in the past.

Discussed on the show:

"The Right May Finally Get Its War on Iran" (Truthdig)

Center for Strategic and International Studies

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.

Pieter Friedrich joins the show to talk about the recent bombing attack in Kashmir's Pulwama district. He explains some of the history of India and Pakistan, which has been rife with conflict between Hindus and Muslims for centuries.

Discussed on the show:

"Pulwama: A Present Moment in the Longer Kashmir Story" (Antiwar.com Original)

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act

Pieter Friedrich is an author and public speaker specializing in analysis of historical and current affairs in South Asia. He is the author of Gandhi: Racist or Revolutionary?. Follow him on Twitter @FriedrichPieter.

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.

Ben Freeman explains the ways that lobbies, particularly foreign ones, can influence politicians in Washington by disguising where their money is coming from. Despite safeguards against this type of influence, the money is rampant.

Discussed on the show:

"Following the foreign-policy money trail in Washington" (Salon.com)

The Foreign Policy Auction

Homepage

Jamal Khashoggi

"Foreign Agents Registration Act" (Department of Justice)

Ben Freeman is director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative with the Center for International Policy. Read his work at AntiWar.com and follow him on Twitter @BenFreemanDC.

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.

Gilbert Doctorow talks about the potential for a hot war with Russia, which the neocons, he says, seem to think would actually be possible without the use of nuclear weapons. He and Scott both emphatically agree, however, that that is not the case. Given that each country (along with several others) has the capacity to destroy all of civilization several times over, the greatest possible caution and diplomacy are called for.

Discussed on the show:

Does Russia Have a Future?: Collected (Nonconformist) Essays on Russian, American and European Relations, 2013-15

"Vladimir Putin on national defense in his Annual Address to a joint session of the Russian parliament: threats or a bid to negotiate on arms control?" (gilbertdoctorow.com)

"Are Trump and Putin Opening Pandora’s Box?" (The New York Times)

Gilbert Doctorow is an independent political analyst and was the European Coordinator of The American Committee for East-West Accord. He writes regularly for Consortium News. His latest book is Does the United States Have a Future?

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.

Grant Smith joins the show to talk about his upcoming event, The Israel Lobby & American Policy Conference 2019, which will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 22. The conference features many prominent guests and will explore the lobby's powerful influence over American politics.

Discussed on the show:

The Israel Lobby & American Policy Conference

Playgrounds for Palestine

"Watch the film the Israel lobby didn't want you to see" (The Electronic Intifada)

Israel's Armor: The Israel Lobby and the First Generation of the Palestine Conflict

Defence for Children

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.