James Ridgeway, Senior Washington Correspondent for Mother Jones, discusses the general detainment conditions in US prisons, in light of Bradley Manning’s mistreatment; the “Angola 3” prisoners held in solitary confinement for almost four decades; the forgotten Eighth Amendment to the Constitution; using solitary confinement as a baseline condition, rather than a temporary punitive measure; why prison culture is indicative of extreme American ignorance or just barbarism; and the few...
03/24/11 – John V. Walsh – The Scott Horton Show
John V. Walsh, frequent contributor to Counterpunch.org, discusses his article “Impeach Obama: A Challenge to Tea Partiers and Antiwar Liberals;” the two-party partisan trap that causes incessant infighting and diverts attention from the real problems; how Obama’s decision to militarily intervene in yet another Sunni Muslim country virtually guarantees more blowback; looking at the UN Libya vote in terms of the represented populations for and against intervention, which turns the 10-5 vote on...
03/24/11 – Barrett Brown – The Scott Horton Show
Barrett Brown, journalist and sometimes-spokesman for Anonymous, discusses the loosely affiliated hacker collective known as Anonymous; contributing to the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond; the internet’s use as a tool of liberation and of repressive surveillance; the danger of private companies developing software (dubbed “Metal Gear” by Anonymous) to infiltrate and manipulate social networks – especially those used to aid popular revolutions; and how the anti-Ben Bernanke Anonymous...
03/23/11 – Mike Malloy – The Scott Horton Show
Talk radio host Mike Malloy discusses the weekend protests at the White House and Quantico Marine brig, against the wars and in support of Bradley Manning; the onerous process of exercising First Amendment rights – there are “free speech zones” and for some reason permits are required; Mike’s arrested for criminal trespass while peacefully assembled on public property; and why war is fundamentally anti-human.
03/23/11 – Lew Rockwell – The Scott Horton Show
Lew Rockwell, founder and Chairman of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, discusses the “Naked Aggression Against Libya;” fighting for control of oil resources on behalf of the MIC and US empire; the triumvirate of women promoting and commanding the Libyan war effort; Egypt’s tough slog to freedom and liberty following Mubarak’s ouster; and how democracy, as applied to foreign countries, means little more than the freedom to vote for the candidate chosen by the US.
03/23/11 – Jason Ditz – The Scott Horton Show
Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the UN war against Libya, where goals and exit strategies are uncertain; problems with an east/west division of Libya, assuming a prolonged stalemate; Obama’s curious bypassing of Congress, as the legislature generally approves of any military action; the seemingly unlimited US appetite for global intervention and budget deficits; and how official justifications for hypocritical foreign policies have been laid bare for all to...
03/22/11 – Karen Kwiatkowski – The Scott Horton Show
Karen Kwiatkowski, columnist at lewrockwell.com and retired USAF lieutenant colonel, discusses the Bush administration’s early Iraq War planning – well before they played up the WMD threat and sold the war to Americans; how the Office of Special Plans leaked classified information to cooperative journalists willing to press the case for war; the OSP’s dissolution soon after the war started – since its raison d’être was fulfilled; unpopular neocons who must attain power through appointed,...
03/22/11 – Will Grigg – The Scott Horton Show
Will Grigg, blogger and author of Liberty in Eclipse, discusses Obama’s decision to get a UN Security Council declaration of war on Libya – and further marginalize Congress’s exclusive war-making authority; how the United Nations Participation Act, signed by President Truman in 1945, directly challenges the authority of the US Constitution; why the UN is less a peacekeeping organization than a means of consolidating power and applying it against enemies of the “international community;” why...
03/22/11 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, foreign correspondent and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses his article “Shock, Awe and Déjà Vu in Libya;” the self-inflicted political pressure on Sarkozy and Obama to force Gaddafi from power, lest they lose reelection themselves; why the West’s preferred successor will likely be chosen from London’s ample community of Libyan expatriates; the many questions left unanswered by hasty liberal interventionists; and the officers in AFRICOM who relish...
03/22/11 – Ahmed al-Assy – The Scott Horton Show
Ahmed al-Assy, an Egyptian-American living in Egypt and a participant in the Tahrir Square protests, discusses the solid turnout for Egypt’s constitutional referendum vote; their jumbled mess of a legal system, made from a hodgepodge of colonial remnants mixed with Sharia; misinformation and voter confusion about the actual issues on the ballot; replacing the old oppressive security state with a new one; and the latest Gaza excursion, where Ahmed and others will take building materials and raw...
03/22/11 – Scott Horton – The Scott Horton Show
The Other Scott Horton (no relation), international human rights lawyer, professor and contributing editor at Harper’s magazine, discusses the “Two New OLC Opinions on Warrantless Surveillance;” the mysterious “program” of unspecified purpose related to NSA data mining; the (sometimes) conflicting legal opinions of OLC lawyers John Yoo and Jack Goldsmith; the NSA’s powerful surveillance algorithms; the differing Fourth Amendment protections for foreign and domestic communications; John Yoo’s...
03/18/11 – Jason Ditz – The Scott Horton Show
Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the tendency of UN Security Council resolutions to greatly exceed their initial mandates in both time and scope; the token military contributions of Qatar and UAE; the UN critics in Congress who have nothing disparaging to say about world government when war is approved; Saudi Arabia’s fake GCC “coalition of the willing” in Bahrain; how excessive government violence has prompted some Yemeni tribes to ally with the protesters; another...
03/18/11 – Kelley B. Vlahos – The Scott Horton Show
This recording is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of March 18th. Kelley B. Vlahos, featured Antiwar.com columnist and contributing editor for The American Conservative magazine, discusses the toxic legacy left by the US in Iraq, particularly in Fallujah and Basra; the numerous and severe birth defects caused by some combination of depleted uranium, water pollution and burn pits; doctors advising women in Fallujah to avoid bearing children, due to the high likelihood of deformities...
03/18/11 – Juan Cole – The Scott Horton Show
Juan Cole, Professor of History, blogger and author of Engaging the Muslim World, discusses Gaddafi’s military offensive that began in earnest while outside forces were mobilizing against him; modeling intervention in Libya after the 2001 defeat of the Taliban, with US air support for Northern Alliance ground forces (and look how that turned out); why the no-fly zone is worth it to prevent massacres, like in Kosovo; why the terrorist Gaddafi can’t be allowed to stay in power, as he might...
03/18/11 – Mike Gogulski – The Scott Horton Show
Mike Gogulski, founder of the Bradley Manning Support Network, discusses the myriad events going on this weekend (March 19-20) in support of Bradley Manning; Obama’s decision to rely on Pentagon assurances that Manning was being appropriately treated in custody – after (former) State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley forced the issue; the mainstream media’s broad objection to Manning’s forced nudity and other degradations; and the incredible WikiLeaks revelations that have shaken corrupt...
