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Scott had Dave DeCamp back on Antiwar Radio to discuss the developments in Gaza. They begin with frequent guest Ramzy Baroud’s sister who was just killed by the IDF in Gaza. They also talk about the scores of journalists Israel has killed so far, the IDF’s latest strategy in northern Gaza, the Grayzone’s new documentary exposing some Israeli lies about the October 7 attacks and more.

Discussed on the show:

• “Journalist Ramzy Baroud Mourns His Sister Killed Today by Israeli Bombs” (Antiwar.com)
• Atrocity Inc: How Israel Sells Its Destruction Of Gaza — The Grayzone
• Airwars report on Israel air campaign in Gaza

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com and the host of Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Robers Brokerage Incorporated; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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Dan McKnight discusses recent efforts by his organization, BringOurTroopsHome.US, to get Republicans in congress to distance themselves from Liz Cheney. Cheney wields enormous influence in congress, both because of her last name and because she supports the reelection campaigns of a whole slew of congressmen. But her brand is utterly toxic, McKnight explains, and continued association with the Cheney name, he thinks, is likely to move the Republican party in a bad direction. It’s time that conservatives—and especially veterans—unite behind the only common sense answer to America’s endless terror wars, which is to bring the troops home as soon as possible.

Discussed on the show:

• “Urgent Letter To Congress: Remove Cheney” (BringOurTroopsHome.US)
• “RELEASE: Veterans group forewarns Republican candidates endorsed or financed by “Chicken Hawk Cheney” (BringOurTroopsHome.US)
• Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War
  
• “Poll: About three quarters support bringing troops home from Iraq, Afghanistan” (The Hill)
• “New poll: Veterans and military families want out of Afghanistan, support more health care options for vets” (Concerned Veterans for America)
• “Majorities of US veterans say Iraq, Afghanistan wars weren’t worth fighting” (Pew Research Center)

Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army, and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Scott talks to Michael Klare about the incentives behind America’s involvement in wars in the Middle East. One common narrative says that Bush invaded Iraq simply because America needed the oil—the truth, says Klare, is somewhat more complicated. He explains that American war planners see a combined strategic interest in U.S. involvement in the Middle East that includes military positioning and the economic interest of exerting control over the oil trade. For one thing, America has essentially promised Saudi Arabia that it will defend their kingdom forever in exchange for a privileged position in the oil business. Even if the U.S. is energy independent, says Klare, oil prices here depend on the global market, so there will always be incentive to try to maintain stability in the Middle East. With the current state of global economy, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.

Discussed on the show:

• “8/7/20 Kingston Reif on the Growing Nuclear Tensions Between the US, Russia and China” (The Libertarian Institute)
• All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon’s Perspective on Climate Change
  
• “A World of “Killer Robots” But Not “National Security”” (TomDispatch)

Michael Klare is the author of The Race for What’s Left and a regular contributor at TomDispatch.com. Find him on Twitter @mklare1.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Brett Wilkins discusses the story about Hiroshima and Nagasaki that everyone learned in school: the U.S. was forced to drop the atomic bombs, because the alternative would have meant a ground invasion of Japan that would have cost a million American lives. In reality, Japan was already making moves toward negotiating a surrender, especially after the USSR declared war on Japan earlier that summer. What’s more, seven out of eight U.S. generals at the time, including Eisenhower and MacArthur, agreed that the bomb was unnecessary. Scott and Wilkins go on to talk about the state of the world’s nuclear powers today, reminding us that this is surely the most important geopolitical issue of our time.

Discussed on the show:

• “Nuclear War or Invasion: The False Dichotomy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” (Antiwar.com Original)
• Collective 20
• The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood―and America―Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
• “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)” (IMDb)
• NSC-68
• War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America’s Most Decorated Soldier
  
• “The elusive horror of Hiroshima” (MSN)
• Unit 731
• “8/7/20 Kingston Reif on the Growing Nuclear Tensions Between the US, Russia and China” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “The Day After (TV Movie 1983)” (IMDb)
• “Doomsday Clock” (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
• New START Treaty
• The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner
  
• “Threads (TV Movie 1984)” (IMDb)

Brett Wilkins is the editor-at-large for US news at the Digital Journal and a contributor at The Daily Kos. Follow him on Twitter @MoralLowGround.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Kingston Reif talks about the imminent lapse of the New START treaty, one of the last remaining nuclear safeguard agreements between the U.S. and Russia. Russia has made some moves to renegotiate the treaty, but the Trump administration has refused to do so, ostensibly in the name of making it much more restrictive, and of including China in the negotiations. These efforts would be admirable, Reif notes, except that there is little reason to believe they are legitimate. Reif suspects that the U.S. and Russia are actually both interested in being able to use the threat of medium range missiles to rein in China, and that Trump’s overtures are mostly an excuse to let the current treaty lapse. When it comes to nuclear issues, Reif and Scott agree that Trump has delivered on his worst promises to increase funding to the arms industry, while failing to follow through on his pledge to get along better with Putin.

Discussed on the show:

• “No Progress Toward Extending New START” (Arms Control Associate)
• New START Treaty
• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
• Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

Kingston Reif is the Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy at the Arms Control Association, where his work focuses on nuclear disarmament, deterrence, and arms control, preventing nuclear terrorism, missile defense, and the defense budget. Find him on Twitter @KingstonAReif.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Scott interviews Tom Woods about his new eBook, which provides a libertarian perspective on some of the national questions being raised these days about the future of policing. Scott and Woods focus in on the war on drugs in particular, which has been the culprit behind so many of the police abuses of the last few decades. They review the reasons why this policy has been completely ineffective, a staggering waste of resource and has led to vastly disproportionate outcomes between white and minority populations. As a libertarian, Woods supports the replacement of government police forces with free market alternatives, but short of this, he also offers a few relatively simple reforms that could go a long way toward solving some of the worst problems with police, and which he hopes almost any American could get behind.

Discussed on the show:

• The Pentagon vs. the Economy
• The Problems With the Police
• “81 Percent of Black Americans Want the Same Level, or More, of Police Presence: Gallup” (Reason)
• “Amash, Pressley introduce bipartisan legislation to end qualified immunity” (U.S. Representative Justin Amash)

Tom Woods is the host of the Tom Woods Show and the author of numerous books including Real Dissent. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEWoods.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Scott talks to Stephen Zunes about Susan Rice, one of the leading candidates for Joe Biden’s VP pick. Rice fits Biden’s criteria in that she’s a black woman with political experience, but Zunes raises serious concerns about her track record. In particular, Rice turned out to be one of the most hawkish Democrats during her time in the Clinton and Obama administrations, and she played a role in pushing for America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. Zunes points out that if “a black woman” is Biden’s only important qualification, then he should at least pick someone with better left-wing credentials and with actual ties to the black community—Rice, he says, is virtually indistinguishable in her politics from all the white male establishment war hawks.

Discussed on the show:

• “Implications of Pro-War Susan Rice as VP Nominee” (Accuracy.Org)
• “Colin Powell’s speech to the UN Security Council” (Brookings)
• “Column: No, Susan Rice did not support the Iraq War” (Chicago Tribune)
• “Don’t Attack Saddam” (WSJ)
• “Susan Rice has Israel’s back” (POLITICO)
• “Why Would Biden Pick Susan Rice?” (Defense One)

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution and Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Find him on Twitter @SZunes. 

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Australian journalist Mark Willacy talks to Scott about his investigations into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces units in Afghanistan. Willacy has worked closely with former SAS operative Braden Chapman, the leading figure in blowing the whistle on what has become a spate of such allegations. The incidents include the killing of unarmed, compliant civilians and the fabrication of evidence to cover up wrongdoing. There is currently an investigation underway in Australia into these misdeeds, but Willacy reminds us how much is at stake with the image of the Australian military, and is unsure whether anyone will be brought to justice in the end. He continues to work hard to make sure those at fault are ultimately held accountable.

Discussed on the show:

• “The same AK-47 was photographed on two dead Afghan civilians killed by Australian soldiers” (ABC News)
• “Former Australian SAS soldier Braden Chapman speaks out about unlawful killings and war crimes in Afghanistan” (ABC News)
• “5/22/20 Braden Chapman on Australian Special Forces War Crimes in Afghanistan” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Video shows Australian SAS soldier shooting and killing unarmed man at close range in Afghanistan” (ABC News)

Mark Willacy is a reporter for ABC Australia. He’s twice been named Queensland Journalist of the Year and is a five-time winner of Australia’s premier journalism prize, the Walkley Award. Follow Mark on Twitter at @MarkWillacy.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Ray McGovern joins the show to talk about Colin Powell and Mike Pompeo: two credentialed, respected members of the foreign policy establishment that have both been hugely damaging to American interests. McGovern first responds to the claim that Powell unwaveringly and heroically stood against the Bush administration’s desire to invade Iraq, succumbing only at the last minute due to new, more persuasive intelligence and the pressures of being overwhelmingly outnumbered. In reality, says McGovern, Powell not only should have known the whole time that Saddam Hussein didn’t have weapons of mass destruction—even after the final intelligence report, which was doubted at the time by his closest associates—but also didn’t ever resist the idea of the invasion very hard, being pretty much willing at the time to go along with Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz and the other neocons in the administration. Only more recently has he tried to depict himself as the man many Americans wanted him to be: a principled iconoclast who only relented in his steadfastness at the very last moment. In the current administration, Mike Pompeo presents dangers of a different kind in the form of a fervid quest to gin up hostilities between the U.S. and China. McGovern reminds us how disastrous the consequences of that war could be, and how much both countries benefit by a peaceful, cooperative relationship.

Discussed on the show:

• “RAY McGOVERN: Powell & Iraq—The Uses and Abuses of National Intelligence Estimates” (Consortium News)
• “Presumptuous Pompeo Pushes Preposterous ‘Peking’ Policy” (Consortium News)
• “Colin Powell Still Wants Answers” (The New York Times)
• “‘To Start a War’ Robert Draper: Bad intelligence led Bush into Iraq” (Business Insider)
• “CIA Director Mike Pompeo “We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal” – Texas A M University April 2019″ (YouTube)
• “Schumer to Trump: Intel officials have ways to strike back” (Washington Examiner)
• “Meet the Steele Dossier’s ‘Primary Subsource’: Fabulist Russian From Democrat Think Tank Whose Boozy Past the FBI Ignored” (Real Clear Investigations)
• “Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror” (YouTube)
• “Scott Ritter in Tokyo” (CounterPunch)

Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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