The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Investigative columnist Jim Bovard joins the show to discuss the latest news from the FBI, as well as its history of meddling in American politics. Lots of people have been shocked by the revelations in the recent Inspector General report about the bias of top FBI officials in the 2016 election, but few are aware of the Bureau's long tradition of underhandedness. Bovard explains how J. Edgar Hoover's FBI deliberately leaked on the Truman administration, spread rumors that Adlai Stevenson was gay, investigated the Goldwater presidential campaign, conspired against Martin Luther King's plans to hold a demonstration at the 1964 Democratic Convention, and worked against President Nixon, culminating in his resignation—and that's just the stuff we already know. Bovard is optimistic about what has come out from 2016 so far, and hopes that more will emerge as scrutiny continues. One positive sign, he notes, is that although the mainstream media seems perfectly willing to shill for the FBI, juries are becoming less and less likely to believe them.

Discussed on the show:

Frederic Whitehurst

"State ignored 17 FOIA requests for Clinton's emails before 2014" (Washington Examiner)

"Emails Reveal Hillary Clinton Knew About Ethnic Cleansing In Libya" (shadowproof.com)

"State Dept.: 75-year wait for Clinton aide emails" (CNN)

"How an Affair Between a Reporter and a Security Aide Has Rattled Washington Media" (New York Times)

"A politically weaponized FBI is nothing new, but plenty dangerous" (The Hill)

"Inspector general's report on FBI and Clinton's emails shows secrecy threatens democracy" (USA Today)

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: 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.

Brent Skorup from the Mercatur Institute and George Mason University is interviewed on both the Capenter v United States ruling and his article in the Washington Times with Melodoy Calkins from June 27th, 2017 titled "A Supreme Court Call: On the Third Party Doctrine the Fourth Amendment Should Apply to Phone Data". The ruling is discussed in detail, and whether or not this is good news for liberty and civil libertarians.

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.

Jacob Hornberger joins Scott to talk about U.S. foreign and domestic policy. In particular, he wonders why, with so much outrage about family separation at the border, few seem to care about the impact U.S. sanctions have on foreign children. Hornberger says this highlights a difference between liberals and leftists—principled leftists have opposed Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump for their foreign policy, and didn't support Hillary Clinton for the same reasons. Most American Democrats, however, protest Republican policies but have nothing to say about the same from their side of the aisle. They go on to discuss America as a national security state, with Hornberger claiming that this "fourth branch of government," comprising the CIA, NSA, FBI and the like, is actually the most powerful of all.

Discussed on the show:

"Do You Hate The State?" (Mises Institute)

“Madeleine Albright: ‘The price is worth it'” (YouTube)

"Secret War: The U.S. Has Conducted More Than 550 Drone Strikes in Libya Since 2011" (The Intercept)

"Tillerson: Evidence sanctions 'really starting to hurt' North Korea" (Reuters)

"In Gaza, lives shaped by drones" (Washington Post)

"Why No Outrage Over U.S. Killing Of Children?" (Future of Freedom Foundation)

Bert Sacks

"11% Say U.S. Should Be World’s Policeman" (Rasmussen)

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: 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.

Bruce Fein is interviewed on his new article for The American Conservative Magazine, "American Empire Demands a Caesar". The evolution of the Republic to the Empire is discussed, and where and when the Republic went wrong is debated.

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.

Kathy Kelly joins Scott to talk about everyday life in Afghanistan for the civilians affected by the war. She explains the damage a continuing U.S. military presence has had on an already troubled country, where harsh winters and arid summers can make bare survival a challenge. Thanks to United States occupation Kabul, once the safest and wealthiest part of Afghanistan, is now one of the most dangerous. All over the country, clean rain water and snow melt have become tainted with sewage, and basic commodities like food and fuel are hard to come by. So why have American forces stayed there? Some argue that military presence will help ensure American interest in Afghanistan's vast natural resources, but Kelly is more cynical. The harsh reality is that there isn't enough political security or infrastructure to make that kind of endeavor possible, so pipe dreams of valuable ores and rare earth metals are more likely the cover used by military officials who want to keep bases close to Russia and China.

Discussed on the Show:

Fools Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan

Afghan Peace March

Bacha Khan

"On Purpose, in Kabul" (VCNV.org)

"A Mile in Their Shoes" (VCNV.org)

Kathy Kelly runs Voices for Creative Nonviolence and works with the Afghan Peace Volunteers in Kabul. Read her writings at Antiwar.com and follow her on Twitter @voiceinwild.

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.

Michael Maharrey, National Communications Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center, is interviewed on his lawsuit with the City of Lexington, Kentucky, which refused to detail in an open records request the manner and methods of their secret surveillance at skate parks in Lexington. The outcome of the lawsuit, why Mr. Maherrey was sued by the city, and the efforts of the Tenth Amendment center nationwide are discussed in detail.

 

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.

Gareth Porter comes back on the show to give his thoughts on the recent Singapore summit. The center left and center right establishments, according to Porter, hysterically oppose efforts at diplomacy, in part because they've tied themselves to opposing everything President Trump does. The mainstream media continues to push the narrative that the U.S. gains nothing from these negotiations, even though Kim agreed before the talks took place to halt his country's testing of nuclear weapons and ICBMs. They also claim that cancelling military exercises threatens our relationship with South Korea, completely overlooking the fact that the negotiations have been led in large part by South Korean president Moon Jae-in from the start. Porter provides evidence that North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons has been a strategic move to bring South Korea and the U.S. to the table, going all the way back to Kim Il-sung, but fears opponents of Trump may sabotage any efforts at peace.

Discussed on the show:

"An Elite Coalition Emerges Against a Trump-Kim Agreement" (Consortium News)

"Thank Goodness for a Villain" (Newsweek)

South Korea NDAA Amendment

"How Cheney and His Allies Created the North Korea Nuclear Missile Crisis" (Truthout)

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: 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.

Lawrence Wittner joins the show to talk nuclear weapons and the possibility of a nuclear-free world. He explains that the safety of mutually assured destruction has nearly failed several times, and that nuclear war is a very plausible threat to humanity. Beyond the massive casualties likely to result from the hugely increased power of today's bombs, the smoke and ash could also rise high enough into the air that normal atmospheric processes can't easily clear them away, causing a global nuclear winter. The consequences of this catastrophe would be even greater than any initial destruction. He also discusses the history of the NPT; that the United States and the Soviet Union sought nuclear monopoly by getting much of the rest of the world to agree never to pursue nuclear weapons, albeit in return for reducing their own arsenals. Wittner explains that while reducing weapons stockpiles is not so difficult (given the deterrent factor of even a small arsenal), eliminating them entirely is very difficult. Fortunately it seems most nations are perfectly happy not to pursue nuclear weapons at all.

Discussed on the show:

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Gordon Prather

Sevastopol Base

A. Q. Khan

Lawrence Wittner is Professor Emeritus of History at Suny Albany and the author of Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement. Follow him on Twitter @LawrenceWittner and at LawrenceSWittner.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.

Sheldon Richman, Executive Editor of the Libertarian Institute, is interviewed on his new article for the Libertarian Institute, "What Does Trump Have Against the Children". Trump's border policy, lying, and the common arguments used by border restrictionists on all sides of the political spectrum are deconstructed.

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.

 

Anna Diaken, from the National Security Project at the ACLU, is on the show to talk about the American and Saudi dual national detained after being captured in Syria. The US Military is set to release him back into the Syrian warzone, and the ACLU is challenging this release.

 

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.