The Freedom Report

Republican Warmongers Demand Higher Military Budget Than Pentagon Requested

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer joins the Freedom Report podcast today to discuss his biting essay on military spending which was recently featured on FoxNews.com. Shaffer argues that Republican senators John McCain and Mac Thornberry aren't helping national security by demanding billions more in the military budget than was requested by the Pentagon. 

From Shaffer: 

Last week, the chairs of the both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal arguing that the Pentagon’s base budget should be restored to its pre-Budget Control Act (BCA) level of around $577 billion for FY 2016. This is not only $78 billion more than the law says it should be, but billions more ($15 billion, to be exact) than the president requested in his fairy-tale budget request. More unnecessary spending that is unfocused and unnecessary.

[..]

Because there is no national security strategy – no basic benchmark to measure progress of strategic effort – there is no ‘point of reference’ from which to judge the Pentagon’s capacity to defend the U.S. or our interests. 

[...]

And, on top of all this nonsense, according to a recent Government Accountability Office assessment more than half of the Pentagon’s top weapons programs increased in cost last year to the tune of $27 billion., That’s about what the entire Department of Energy spends in one year and about half of the Department of Homeland Security’s annual budget. Wow…do you feel safer?

The lack of global strategy and strategic thinking has left the Pentagon with no way to gauge whether it is spending its money in an effective manner. The Defense Department is the only federal agency that has not completed an audit.

Also, in this episode, Colonel Shaffer and editor Austin Petersen discuss libertarians vs neocons in the GOP. Would Shaffer trust American national security to the libertarian insurgency currently trying to wrest power away from the hawks in the Republican Party? Can a coalition of Ronald Reagan-style conservatives and libertarians build enough strength to win the nomination for a less hawkish candidate? 

All that and more on this episode of the Freedom Report podcast! 

Freedom Summit: TLR's Writers on Racism, Sexism & Liberty [PODCAST]

The writing team at The Libertarian Republic assembled over the weekend to hold an epic liberty summit, discussing the major issues that affect all of our freedoms. What's good in the world of libertarianism? What could we do better? Join TLR's amazing staff of star writers for an exciting discussion about freedom and culture. 

Are the events in Ferguson, Missouri an example of why government can't solve the problems of racial strife? Also, if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency after Barack Obama, is that the day that millions of racists will suddenly all become sexists? How are libertarians making an impact on the critical issues of race and gender in America today? Our team of libertarian writers will break it all down for you in this very special episode of the Freedom Report podcast with Avens O'Brien, Josh Guckert, Casey Bennett, Lina Bryce, Drew Rushford, Grant Phillips, Keith Farrell, and Ryan Carrillo!

How Can Women Solve The Gender Wage Gap? Work More Hours And Don't Have Babies [PODCAST]

Methinks the stupid feminists doth protest too much

Patricia Arquette interrupted her own Oscar speech to belch out some economic ignorance about the gender wage gap. Arquette decried the inequality in the rate of wages between men and women, reading the same old tired feminist sob story that women make less than man. But the reality is that women have the power to do something about it. They can work more hours and have fewer kids!

Economics is offensive! 

The gender wage gap is a hot topic amongst the non-intelligentsia in today's society. Feminist myths about inequality are touted by none other than the President himself, who mysteriously pays his own female employees less than their male counterparts. 

From the Washington Post:

The average male White House employee currently earns about $88,600, while the average female White House employee earns about $78,400, according to White House data released Tuesday. That is a gap of 13 percent.

In 2009, male employees made an average of about $82,000, compared to an average of $72,700 earned by female employees — also a 13 percent wage gap.

Ouch! But wait, why would the president do that if he has no economic incentive for doing so? I mean, if greedy capitalists who would do anything to make a buck are paying women less than men... wouldn't they prefer to just hire men? If Patricia Arquette were right, and you can pay women less an hour, how come employers don't hire women by default to save money? And how come the President pays his female staff at a lower rate than the men, even though there's no economic incentive there for doing so? Is it because people think men will do a better job and are worth the higher rate? Or is it because social democrats and feminists don't understand economics?

Today's Freedom Report podcast delves into the economics of the gender pay disparities, but we don't just look at wages, we look at overall compensation. Maybe women are making their own choices in their careers, like choosing lower-paying fields? Or maybe women are choosing to take themselves out of the workforce to have babies? Or maybe women are choosing jobs with flexibility, instead of those which require long hours with no breaks? 

Our podcast today checks the privilege of first world feminists, so don't forget to subscribe and leave us a 5 star review on iTunes, or Stitcher! 

When it comes to ISIS... What Would Thomas Jefferson Do? Ft. Kevin Gutzman [PODCAST]

How would Thomas Jefferson deal with ISIS if he were president today?Are there any lessons we can learn from the Barbary Wars that would apply to Islamic terrorism today? Professor of history Kevin Gutzman joins the Freedom Report to discuss the threat of ISIS and put it in historical context.

Gutzman is an accomplished author and educator, whose most recent book James Madison and the Making of America was featured in the popular Netflix series House of Cards. Gutzman argues in this show that the type of threat posed by Islamists is alien to the American experience, other than perhaps the Barbary Wars themselves. 

Jefferson's strategy of overwhelming force was effective in fighting off the Tripolitan corsair raiders, but what would he have thought about the modern concept of nation-building? Gutzman's insight into the modern struggle against radical Islam sheds light into the thinking of the founders, and how they may have dealt with modern threats. 

This podcast goes into the troubles of how our current President Obama is dealing with Islamic terrorism, and their fundamental misunderstanding of their motivations. Is ISIS really not Islamic? Does denying their religious principles make it more likely for them to be shunned by the less radical sects of Islam? And how does professor Gutzman feel about the State Department's assertion that we can't beat them with a war of bullets, but maybe they just need jobs? 

That kind of rhetoric leads one to question whether the White House isn't considering some form of make-work projects for the American taxpayer to finance jobs for reformed terrorists. All that and more on today's very special episode of the Freedom Report podcast. 

How Would Libertarians Deal With ISIS? Ft. Lucy Steigerwald [PODCAST]

In an anarcho-capitalist world without roads... who would kill the terrorists?

Lucy Steigerwald of Vice Magazine and AntiWar.com joins the Freedom Report podcast today to discuss issues of war and peace. Steigerwald, an "almost pacifist" libertarian discusses and debates issues related to ISIS, war and foreign policy. 

Lucy, with her newly minted fame as one of the "Top 20 Hottest Ladies of Liberty," discusses the speech of North Korean expat Yeonmi Park. Knowing the horrors that people like Park experience at the hands of the North Korean regime, should the United States be involved in defending South Korea? Steigerwald says it's time for the troops to come home. Even if that means the North could overrun the capitalist South? We discuss and debate in this show. 

Also, just when is self defense justified? Was it moral or ethical for the United States to drop the bomb on Imperial Japan? All that and more on this very special episode of the Freedom Report, taped at the International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C. 

Obama Asks Congress To Go To War Against ISIS

President Obama will reportedly seek congressional authorization to expand the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The president's request for a new authorization for the use of military force is said to include a sunset provision, requiring congress to reconsider the executive's warmaking power after three years. 

Obama will speak today at 3pm ET from the White House to explain how his proposal is meant to show solidarity of the American people in their desire to stem Islamic extremism, and defend against possible future acts of terrorism against the United States. The proposal is an act of democratic deliberation, meaning that the executive was already authorized under the 2001 AUMF to make war on terror everywhere indefinitely. This new proposal cancels the 2002 Iraq authorization, while the president also states that he will attempt to cancel the 2001 indefinite AUMF as well. 

Also, we include an interview today with 16-year-old Brandon Keibler, whose Project Digital Privacy is meant to inform and educate the American people on issues of warrantless surveillance. This brief 8-minute interview at the end of the show features a wide-ranging discussion about the high schooler's campaign for civil liberties. 

How The Media Lies To You, And Why You Love It [PODCAST]

"It doesn't matter what I say, as long I say it with inflection..."

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast focuses in on the story of NBC Anchor Brian Williams and his embarrassing admonition that he lied about being in a helicopter that was grounded by a RPG in Iraq. Our show will explain how the media lies to you, why they lie, and why you love it when they do.

Don't blame the media for bad politics ladies and gentlemen. They have an incentive to lie to you. Telling the truth isn't profitable. Why? Because the truth hurts. Because we all prefer to confirm our biases. We prefer sweet lies to the sour truth because everyone would rather not have to change our beliefs and opinions.

"There is something amiss... I am being insincere... in fact I don't mean any of this... still, my confession draws you near..."

Ladies and gentlemen, today's show may be the most important show we've ever done. Like all the great men of the past, today I stand before you and tell you the plain, unvarnished truth. The story of your own enslavement. I lift the veil on the media, and how the masses get what they ask for.

But before we get to the show, here's a message from our sponsors.

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"confuse the issue of reform... familiar heroes from long ago..."

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, nothing will ever change in the media. Why? Because we prefer to confirm our biases, and stay within our tribe. We punish heretics, and we scapegoat them, driving them from the herd. "You're not a libertarian"? 

"But the hook brings you back... I ain't tellin' you no lie"

Listen to the Freedom Report podcast, subscribe to us on iTunes, and leave us a 5 star review. Or don't, and think for yourself. 

Should Vaccines Be Voluntary? Science Babe to the Rescue! [PODCAST]

The Freedom Report podcast invites back one of our favorite beautiful babes of liberty... the Science Babe! Yvette Guinevere comes back on the show to discuss the recent vaccine controversy, the politics of woo, and conspiracy claptrap. Today's show delves into the recent measles outbreak in Disneyland and asks her why several people who were vaccinated still contracted the illness? And why have vaccine courts given settlements to people if they are touted as safe? 

Also, should vaccines be voluntary, or mandatory? Science Babe and editor Austin Petersen differ on this point, although both self identify as libertarians. What do you think? Register on the right side of the website here and leave your comments below!

 

Kooks, Cranks, Vaccines, Conspiracy Theorists & Rand Paul

The Freedom Report podcast takes on the issue of vaccines today. We discuss comments by Senator Rand Paul which set vaccine conspiracy theorists into a tizzy, and pro-science libertarians into a tizzy. Did Paul's anecdotal comments about "hearing stories" of kids harmed by vaccines just deep six his presidential ambitions. Just why do politicians like Barack Obama and others pander to the kook lobby? Probably because they're bored, home alone reading Natural News, and they vote. 

Todays podcast pushes back against the anti-vaccine fearmongers, dealing with the question of individual rights, parental rights, and the danger of outbreaks of serious diseases. Do you have a right not to vaccinate your child? Yes. Do you have a right to send that child to public school? Hell no! And as Judge Andrew Napolitano recently said on the topic, "most fears are irrational." 

Gloom and doom prophets of disaster have been cooking up lies and legends of vaccines imagined dangers, scaring parents, and terrorizing critics for years. Now after decades of politicians pandering, and professional bullsh** artist conspiracy-theorist radio hosts fearmongering for profit, we see the results on full display: children dead from curable diseases. 

All that and more on this hot button issue on today's episode of the Freedom Report. 

Why Is The White House Stonewalling Over Sgt. Bergdahl? [PODCAST]

Lt. Colonel Anthony Shaffer rejoins the Freedom Report podcast, and today he's the man of the hour. After a statement on Fox News to Bill O'Reilly claiming that Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl would be charged for desertion, Rear Admiral John Kirby is openly denying his report.

Shaffer stands by his statements, and the pressure is on the Obama administration to answer whether or not Bergdahl will indeed be charged with a crime. 

And today we learn that the militants who were traded for Bergdahl in the prisoner swap have been suspected of attempting to return to the fight against the United States. The Libertarian Republic questions former spy Shaffer on whether or not secret prisons such as Guantanamo Bay actually serve the nation's interest, or provide adequate justice. 

Also, who does Shaffer see in the GOP field with the most realistic foreign policy? And what does Lt Colonel Shaffer think of Senator Marco Rubio's desire to extend the PATRIOT Act's bulk collection of American citizen's data indefinitely? Is that really the most effective way to guard against terrorism, to sacrifice liberty for security? 

All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! Subscribe on iTunes!