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Scott interviews Libertarian Institute William Norman Grigg Fellow Thomas Eddlem about two articles he recently wrote. The first focuses on how the Fed’s artificial price inflation is harming those who do and will rely on Social Security. The second examines how the Fed-created housing crisis traps people in poverty.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Trillion Dollar Social Security Trust Fund Robbery” (Libertarian Institute)
• “Home Ownership Crisis: How the Fed Creates a Financial Underclass” (Libertarian Institute)

Thomas R. Eddlem is the William Norman Grigg Fellow at the Libertarian Institute, an economist and a freelance writer published by more than 20 periodicals and websites. 

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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Kathy Kelly joins Scott to talk about everyday life in Afghanistan for the civilians affected by the war. She explains the damage a continuing U.S. military presence has had on an already troubled country, where harsh winters and arid summers can make bare survival a challenge. Thanks to United States occupation Kabul, once the safest and wealthiest part of Afghanistan, is now one of the most dangerous. All over the country, clean rain water and snow melt have become tainted with sewage, and basic commodities like food and fuel are hard to come by. So why have American forces stayed there? Some argue that military presence will help ensure American interest in Afghanistan’s vast natural resources, but Kelly is more cynical. The harsh reality is that there isn’t enough political security or infrastructure to make that kind of endeavor possible, so pipe dreams of valuable ores and rare earth metals are more likely the cover used by military officials who want to keep bases close to Russia and China.

Discussed on the Show:

• Fools Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan
• Afghan Peace March
• Bacha Khan
• “On Purpose, in Kabul” (VCNV.org)
• “A Mile in Their Shoes” (VCNV.org)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Michael Maharrey, National Communications Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center, is interviewed on his lawsuit with the City of Lexington, Kentucky, which refused to detail in an open records request the manner and methods of their secret surveillance at skate parks in Lexington. The outcome of the lawsuit, why Mr. Maherrey was sued by the city, and the efforts of the Tenth Amendment center nationwide are discussed in detail.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Gareth Porter comes back on the show to give his thoughts on the recent Singapore summit. The center left and center right establishments, according to Porter, hysterically oppose efforts at diplomacy, in part because they’ve tied themselves to opposing everything President Trump does. The mainstream media continues to push the narrative that the U.S. gains nothing from these negotiations, even though Kim agreed before the talks took place to halt his country’s testing of nuclear weapons and ICBMs. They also claim that cancelling military exercises threatens our relationship with South Korea, completely overlooking the fact that the negotiations have been led in large part by South Korean president Moon Jae-in from the start. Porter provides evidence that North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons has been a strategic move to bring South Korea and the U.S. to the table, going all the way back to Kim Il-sung, but fears opponents of Trump may sabotage any efforts at peace.

Discussed on the show:

• “An Elite Coalition Emerges Against a Trump-Kim Agreement” (Consortium News)
• “Thank Goodness for a Villain” (Newsweek)
• South Korea NDAA Amendment
• “How Cheney and His Allies Created the North Korea Nuclear Missile Crisis” (Truthout)

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Lawrence Wittner joins the show to talk nuclear weapons and the possibility of a nuclear-free world. He explains that the safety of mutually assured destruction has nearly failed several times, and that nuclear war is a very plausible threat to humanity. Beyond the massive casualties likely to result from the hugely increased power of today’s bombs, the smoke and ash could also rise high enough into the air that normal atmospheric processes can’t easily clear them away, causing a global nuclear winter. The consequences of this catastrophe would be even greater than any initial destruction. He also discusses the history of the NPT; that the United States and the Soviet Union sought nuclear monopoly by getting much of the rest of the world to agree never to pursue nuclear weapons, albeit in return for reducing their own arsenals. Wittner explains that while reducing weapons stockpiles is not so difficult (given the deterrent factor of even a small arsenal), eliminating them entirely is very difficult. Fortunately it seems most nations are perfectly happy not to pursue nuclear weapons at all.

Discussed on the show:

• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• Gordon Prather
• Sevastopol Base
• A. Q. Khan

Lawrence Wittner is Professor Emeritus of History at Suny Albany and the author of Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement. Follow him on Twitter @LawrenceWittner and at LawrenceSWittner.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Sheldon Richman, Executive Editor of the Libertarian Institute, is interviewed on his new article for the Libertarian Institute, “What Does Trump Have Against the Children“. Trump’s border policy, lying, and the common arguments used by border restrictionists on all sides of the political spectrum are deconstructed.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Australian Analytical Philosopher and early contributor to Wikileaks Dr. Simon Floth is interviewed on his new article for antiwar.com, “Assange’s Equadorian Cave“. The history of Assange’s detention in the Ecuadorian embassy, his journalistic activities, and why he’s really unable to leave is explored in detail.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Nasser Arrabyee rejoins the show to discuss the latest developments in the Saudi-U.S. war in Yemen. UAE and Saudi forces have continued to bomb Hodeidah because of its strategic importance to the Houthis. Arrabyee explains that the attackers continue to underestimate the Houthis, and that fighting a guerrilla war against the civilians of Hodeidah won’t be easy.

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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David Henderson joins the show to talk about the consequences of war for the American economy and the world political order. Henderson explains that many of the intrusive powers the state has today are the result of major crises, during which the state seizes some new power, and then after the crisis gives up much of that power again—but not all of it. Over time these powers accumulate into the government we have today. The nascent income tax, for instance, was raised all the way to 77% for top earners during World War I, and then ‘generously’ lowered closer to modern levels after the war ended. Railroads were nationalized around the same time, and then privatized afterward but with much more regulation. Henderson identifies three crises that had the most impact in this area: World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. War in particular has dire consequences for government power, as demonstrated by the rise of Hitler’s fascism in Europe and numerous socialist regimes in the East, all as a direct result of the aftermath of World War I. He advocates a return to defense, rather than offense, which would not only save American taxpayers billions each year, but would also avoid the blowback with which we’ve become all too familiar.

Discussed on the show:

• “War-Fighting and the Loss of Liberty” (LibertyLawSite.org)

David R. Henderson is a Research Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution and former professor of Economics at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of The Joy of Freedom: An Economist’s Odyssey. Read his work at DavidRHenderson.com and AntiWar.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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