The Freedom Report

Is President Obama Attacking ISIS To Boost His Poll Numbers? Ft. Lt. Col Anthony Shaffer (PODCAST)

Lt. Colonel Anthony Shaffer joins the Freedom Report podcast to discuss President Obama's "strategy" to combat ISIS. 

Shaffer, a military and foreign policy expert, explains why the president's strategy of arming Syrian jihadis could backfire against the United States. Shaffer argues that Obama is ignoring the best advice available from his military leaders and pursuing dangerous tactical methods that are counterintuitive. Obama is also ignoring a perfect opportunity to work with groups who are actually friendly to the United States, and whose militaries the American taxpayer has already spent billions building up in order to solve conflicts such as the current engagement. 

Does Lt. Colonel Shaffer believe that ISIS is a direct threat to the U.S. homeland?

Why Are People Harassing The Naughty Girls Donut Shop? (PODCAST)

Leave The Naughty Girls Alone! LEAVE THEM ALONE! 

A 17-year-old entrepreneur is fulfilling her dream of running her own small business in Front Royal, Virginia. But despite her determination and hard work, Tiana Ramos and her mother are facing opposition from a local Catholic group over their "Naughty Girls Donut Shop," which features a WWII-era pinup girl logo and positively sinful fried treats.

"They literally threw trash at the door and said, 'Naughty Girls burn in hell'," Ramos said. "I started bawling, right there."

9News reported that the ladies started receiving negative comments about their restaurant on Twitter, Facebook and Yelp. "They were talking about how the girls look like hussies, they didn't talk about the food or the service," Tiana said.

The local Catholics of Front Royal are unhappy about the name of the Donut Shop, claiming that the logo has a "devil tail" in it. Do you see one? The Catholic group is threatening a boycott of the group, demanding the company stop advertising in the local newspaper.

Despite all this, Ms Ramos is unswayed. She refuses to relocate or back down. "They're the reason we're staying here," she said.

Good for her! Why do some people want to discourage this fine young woman in her entrepreneurial pursuits? And why are so many people so interested in slut shaming? We wag our finger right back at the pearl-clutchers on this special episode of The Freedom Report podcast!

LISTEN:

 

Are Hispanic Millennials Going Libertarian? (PODCAST)

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast features special guest Rachel Burger. She’s a young voices advocate who studied international relations at the university of Chicago and is an associate editor at Thoughts on Liberty. Her recent piece entitled  “the surprising rise of the Hispanic millennial libertarian” has swept the libertysphere and is has people asking: Just why are so many young Hispanics are self identifying as libertarian? 

Punching A Woman 101: When Is It OK? (PODCAST)

The Baltimore Ravens announced today the termination of the contract of Ray Rice after a video of him punching his wife unconscious surfaced today from TMZ.

The NFL piled on by suspending Rice from the league indefinitely, and the ensuing media firestorm has sparked outrage, casting fresh light onto the behavior of star athletes and the free pass they get for bad behavior.

Previously, the NFL had suspended Ray Rice for two games, due to footage emerging which showed him dragging his fiancée out of the elevator. At the time there was no footage of him actually punching her.

Both Ray and his fiancée Janay had been arrested over the incident and Rice was allowed to continue to play after he agreed to enter a counseling program. The Ravens coach even defended Rice’s character.

But now the NFL appears to have changed course, saying they never saw the original video of Rice dragging his unconscious fiancée out of the elevator, and upon viewing the newest video where he knocks the woman out, Rice is now out of the league.

Still, upon viewing the video, it does appear that Rice’s wife was participating in the violence in an aggressive manner. But who cares? We don’t take female violence seriously apparently. The Baltimore Ravens are in hot water right now for a tweet they wrote back in May, which stated that Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident. They’ve since deleted that tweet, but is that victim blaming? The video does show her throwing blows as well.

Columnist and project manager for Liberty.Me's Tiffany Madison joins the Freedom Report podcast to discuss this topic. Madison is the author of the controversial piece "When is it OK for a man to punch a woman," which analyzed an incident where a man was demonized after defending himself from a female attacker at a football game.

All this leads to so many interesting questions such as, Why did the government give Rice such a lenient sentence? Do sports heroes often get lenient treatment due to their social status?  What kind of force is appropriate to defend yourself from a violent attack, if that attacker is a woman? Is it ever OK to strike a woman?

Listen to the Freedom Report podcast below for answers to these questions. 

Should The Internet Be Considered A Human Right? (PODCAST)

Keep Your Stinking Regulations Off The Internet You Damned, Dirty Liberals!

President of American Commitment Phil Kerpen joins the Freedom Report podcast to discuss liberal's campaign to regulate the Internet like a public utility. His new campaign to stop Internet regulation by the FCC is aiming at sending a message by gathering 250,000 petitions in support of his fight. Should the Internet be considered a human right?

 

From the campaign:

At every turn, the Congress and the Courts have told the Federal Communications Commission to cease and desist in its efforts to regulate the Internet. Rather than heed these warnings, the Commission is doubling down, threatening to place the most onerous regulations imaginable on the Internet, subjecting it to 1930s-style regulations meant for telephone monopolies. 

The Internet is not a monopoly or a public utility. The Internet is a massive network of networks that has arisen, not by government fiat, but through free, spontaneous arrangements by investors, engineers, businesses and the consumers they serve. The FCC should heed the sober warnings of the two branches of government that have instructed it to cease and desist in this reckless, destructive effort to regulate the Internet.

In this episode, Kerpen explains what would happen if liberals were able to regulate the Internet the same way they do water and electricity. You can help stop them by clicking below and sending a message using your social network.

Click below:

Blacks Open Carry To Protest Police Violence, Is That The Best Way To Send A Message?

Black gun groups in Texas are open carrying to protest against police violence. The Huey P. Newton Gun Club conducted an open carry march through South Dallas with their shotguns and AR-15s, walking through a restaurant as police officers calmly ate their lunch nearby. "The recent murders of unarmed black, brown, and whites across the United States of America has eradicated trust in the police," the club's website reads.  Are the gun club members using the right tactics to call attention to the problems of the militarization and heavy-handed tactics of the police?

The Freedom Report podcast today takes on the issue of violence and culture, examining recent tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri with the reactions of protesters along with a historical anecdote from the Black Panther Party's history. Is this recent open carry march in Texas the start of a trend of black people standing up for themselves and expressing their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Also, putting aside the issue of institutional racism, which we can debate later; do blacks suffer from a low self-image? What does a little experiment on schoolchildren in 1968 tell us about how racism and self esteem affect our self image and ability to perform tasks to the best of our ability? Can this protest by the Huey P. Newton Gun Club be a positive example of how to assert?

All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast!

Do Libertarians Have More Credibility After Ferguson? (PODCAST)

Writer for the Huffington Post Robin Koerner joins the Freedom Report podcast to discuss Ferguson and the rise of the warrior cop. Have the events in Missouri given the American people an up close and personal look at the jackboot tactics of our domestic police forces? Koerner breaks down the politics of the situation as they unfold. 

Koerner also analyzes the racial politics of the situation. Do libertarians and conservatives have a "white boy" problem? How can we discuss the issues of racial politics if white people's opinions matter less? 

All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast!

Have The Events In Ferguson Proved To America How Valuable Libertarianism Is? (PODCAST)

The Washington Post reported this morning that the events in Ferguson, Missouri have been an opportunity for libertarians to make their voices heard. Citing Senator Rand Paul's worries about the militarization of police, the Post wrote that, "the changing reaction on the right is clear evidence of a rising and more vocal libertarian wing within the Republican Party."

Events in Ferguson have grown calmer since it was announced that the government would turn over police action to the Highway Patrol, and would begin respecting civil liberties.

From LibertyViral:

Gone were the SWAT trucks and snipers. Gone were the riot shields and militaristic outfits. Gone was the hostility. And guess what? Gone was the violence.

Yesterday the Missouri Highway Patrol was given responsibility over the area. Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson, who is a Ferguson native, marched in front of the crowd and set clear priorities for the marchers which respected their civil liberties. Governor Jay Nixon had vowed to take a different approach to the event, which has spurred national interest after police were caught tear gassing and arresting reporters.

“When I see a young lady cry because of fear of this uniform, that’s a problem.” Johnson said. “We’ve got to solve that.”

Johnson vowed not to blockade the street, and even went so far as to set up a staging center for the media. The officers were careful to ensure that residents had the right to assemble and the police were told to take off their gas masks while working crowd control.

And while the positive impact of the change in policy is making great strides toward reducing violence, is it possible that the politics are informing the policy? What I mean is: Could the change in conservative rhetoric to a more libertarian tone be, in part, what is emboldening officials to behave in a more libertarian way?

The Freedom Report podcast takes a look at how the "libertarian moment" is impacting policing strategies, and how the increasingly vocal strain of limited government Republicans are influencing their fellow partisans, as well as the nation as a whole.

Can Libertarians Seize Their Moment With Rand Paul, Or Will It Be Civil War? (PODCAST)

The New York Times produced an incredible pages-long article dissecting the rise of libertarian politics in America. The piece bolsters the idea that American's viewpoints on issues such as surveillance, gay marriage and economics are coming into alignment with libertarian ideals.

But as the movement prepares for its greatest challenges in 2016 with the potential candidacy of Rand Paul, will it come together in solidarity? Or, will it tear itself apart rather than allow an "impure" candidate to bear their standard? 

All that and more on the Freedom Report Podcast! 

'Sriracha Republican' In Southern California Is Spicing Up Race For Congressional Seat

Insurgent Republican Arturo Alas joins the Freedom Report podcast to discuss his campaign for liberty in California's 32nd district. As an entrepreneur and a staunch believer in free markets, Alas campaigned heavily to keep the famous Sriracha factory in business, despite attacks from big government regulators who were trying to force the factory out of town.

Alas is seeking to replace Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano, and his platform is one of limited government with an emphasis on the "Big L," that's liberty! Alas answers questions regarding the funding of the state of Israel, the threat of Ebola, and the immigration crisis on the southern border in this very special episode of the Freedom Report podcast!