Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his satirical article "A Modest Gun-Safety Proposal;" why guns are a great equalizing force favoring the physically weak; why government prohibition doesn't work on drugs, guns, or anything else; how gun control disarms the law-abiding and leaves criminals more dangerous than ever; and the states rebelling against federal criminalization of marijuana.

Journalist Patrick Cockburn discusses why Iraq may be sliding into a civil war worse than in Syria; Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's "government of thieves;" the violent crackdown on Iraqi Sunni protestors who tried staging their own Egypt-style peaceful revolution; the Al-Qaeda associated fighters traversing the porous Iraq-Syria border; and the hastening fragmentation of Iraq into sectarian enclaves.

Thomas C. Mountain, a reporter based in Eritrea, discusses why the UN is largely responsible for the 250,000 Somalis who starved to death since 2010; and Anthony Lake's terrible record in Africa from his failure to halt the Rwandan genocide as National Security Advisor in 1994, to Somalia's mass starvation under his watch as UNICEF chief.

Novelist Bill Kauffman discusses the new film Copperhead, about the Civil War opposition in upstate New York; the small "r" front-porch brand of republicanism; our lost tradition of Christian pacifism; and how you can help get Copperhead playing in a theater near you.

Jonas Siegel, project manager and outreach director at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), discusses his study on "Media Coverage of Iran's Nuclear Program;" the "he said, she said" media treatment of Iran that leaves Americans clueless about complex issues on international treaties and nuclear science; and how the small pool of reporters covering Iran's nuclear program can skew the debate, whether by mistake or bad intentions.

Christian Stork, assistant editor and staff writer with WhoWhatWhy.com, discusses the federal criminal charges against journalist (and unofficial spokesman for Anonymous) Barrett Brown; how the government is exploiting the "gray area" in cybersecurity laws to crack down on activists; Brown's capable new defense attorney team of Ahmed Ghappour and Charles Swift; and the few bright spots in our increasingly unfair criminal justice system.

Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses Israel's bombing of Syria; the impotence of Arab armies against the mighty Israeli military; the US's treaty-bound obligation to defend Japan against attack - which could mean war with China over the diminutive Senkaku Islands; incentives to develop nuclear weapons in Japan, South Korea and Iran; and the aftermath of Libya's civil war.

Robert Greenwald, producer and director of Rethink Afghanistan, discusses his new film War on Whistleblowers; the secretive US national security state; getting the word out about mistreatment of conscientious whistleblowers inside government and the military; and the free DVD available for screenings.

Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, discusses the false accusations that he and his organization are anti-Christian and anti-military; the rules for proselytizing in the military - and what constitutes consent in a top-down chain of command structure; and the strong Dominionist Christian beliefs within mercenary/paramilitary groups like (ex) Blackwater.

Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition discusses why we need to legalize drugs and treat addiction like a public health problem, not a criminal menace; how nonviolent drug users have their lives ruined by felony convictions and permanent marks on their records; the disastrous DARE program of cops lying to kids about drug dangers; and the drug war's effects on Central and South America.

Eric Margolis, author of American Raj, discusses former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's arrest over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007, among other charges; Afghanistan's preparation for US withdrawal; the reemergence of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party; and the dangers of arming Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft weapons.

Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, discusses his article "The Prisoners Speak: Reports from the Hunger Strike in Guantanamo;" the likelihood that the remaining prisoners will be held until they die, without charge or trial; Obama's continuing pretense about closing Guantanamo; and the hunger strike's success at bringing media attention to the situation.

Jon Basil Utley, associate publisher of The American Conservative, discusses his article "The Untold Story of Antiwar Conservatives;" the many prominent conservatives who were against the Iraq War but were ignored by the media; George W. Bush's naive and fantastical Iraq War plans (or lack thereof); and the bald-faced lies told before the 1990-91 Gulf War.

Jim Bovard, author of Public Policy Hooligan, discusses his article "How 'Food for Peace' Hurts Foreign Farmers;" how government food subsidies and mandates distort prices and help giant agribusiness; and why corn wouldn't be mass-converted to ethanol and sugar-substitute in a free economy.

Phyllis Bennis, a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, discusses John Kerry's doomed-to-fail revisiting of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative for an Israel-Palestine resolution; why Israel will never make concessions while the US is unwilling to withhold foreign aid and stop fighting Israel's battles at the UN; and the proposed "Israel exception" to mandated across-the-board US government spending cuts.