Shane and Amy Bugbee, authors of the book (and movie) The Suffering and Celebration of Life in America, discuss their year-long road trip documenting how Americans think and live.

Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party, discusses the latest Israeli precision strikes against schools and journalists in Gaza; the Twitter-dominated media coverage; genocidal rhetoric from Israeli government officials; the Israeli state's descent into corruption and fascism; the politics of maintaining a Jewish demographic majority; and why top Israeli officials wear their "war criminal" credentials proudly.

Ryan Dawson, author of Welcome to the USSA: Corruption in the Government and Media, discusses why the superstorm Sandy damage on Hatteras Island, NC is the government's fault; foreign aid going to Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel while American states are neglected; how the current conflict in Gaza really started; and how the Israeli government has sabotaged peace deals with the Palestinians for decades.

IPS News journalist Gareth Porter discusses the glaring deficiencies in David Petraeus' professional career; why history will remember Petraeus as the first general to wage a full scale PR campaign on the media and public opinion; Gareth's upcoming series of Petraeus articles at Truthout; how Petraeus abandoned his own COIN doctrine in Afghanistan; and the Taliban's success at infiltrating US-supported security services.

Stacy Langley from Dagney and Lane skin and hair care discusses the Men's Face Care Kit, success in advertising on the show so far, and the 15% discount for promo code Scott15 on all Dagney and Lane products at checkout. Thank you for supporting this show's sponsors.

Philip Giraldi, Executive Director of The Council for the National Interest, discusses Israel's attack on Gaza; the collective punishment of Gaza's majority under-aged population; how Israel created Hamas in the first place; the whirlwind of unpredictable blowback caused by interventionist foreign policy; and why David Petraeus is just another puffed-up armchair warrior. SCOTT HORTON INTERVIEWS PHILIP GIRALDI SCOTT HORTON SHOW, NOVEMBER 16, 2012 TRANSCRIPT SCOTT HORTON: For KPFK 90.7 in Los...

Joey King of Veterans for Peace discusses the School of the Americas protest this weekend (Nov. 16-18) at Fort Benning, GA; the 200-year history of interventionist US foreign policy in Latin America; and how the War on Drugs is giving the US military a foothold in Guatemala and elsewhere.

Joe Lauria, journalist for The Wall Street Journal, discusses the IDF's assassination of Hamas military chief Ahmed Jaabari; the Palestinian bid for non-member observer state status at the UN, and the legal rights conferred if successful; the similar political timing of Israel's current aggression and Operation Cast Lead in 2008; US ambassador Thomas Pickering's threat to "bring down the entire UN" in 1989 when Palestine last sought observer state status; and why Israel's government is...

Asia Times journalist Pepe Escobar discusses the credentials of Sheikh Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, the newly elected Syrian opposition leader;  how non-vetted videos and news sources drive the mainsteam media's coverage of Syria; talk of a Western-imposed no-fly zone and more weapons for Syria's rebels; Kurdish autonomy movements that transcend national borders; and why a partial rebel victory/secession in Syria is really no victory at all.

Asia Times journalist Pepe Escobar discusses Israel's opportunistic aggression in Gaza while the news cycle is fully occupied with other things; the Arab Spring counterrevolutions led by Persian Gulf monarchies; how the US could be weaned from Middle East oil (and politics) within ten years; and the ongoing developments in the Benghazi/CIA/Petraeus scandals.

Jeffrey Kaye, a psychologist and regular writer for Truthout, discusses his article "The Forgotten History of David Petraeus;" the media's fawning adoration of Petraeus despite his record of failure and links to torture and death squads; the legal system's failure to constrain the US government from waging aggressive warfare and torturing at will; and indications that Petraeus was ousted by his own agency.

Emptywheel blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses how David Petraeus' resignation scandal is related to the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack that killed the US ambassador; Paula Broadwell's claim that the CIA was holding prisoners in Benghazi; numerous theories about who wanted Petraeus out, and why; and the US's nation-building failures from Iraq to Libya.

Alfred W. McCoy, author of Torture and Impunity, discusses his article "Beyond Bayonets and Battleships: Space Warfare and the Future of U.S. Global Power;" the integration of killer drones, cyber-surveillance and global biometric identification; and why the US continues to lose wars despite having enormous (yet unsustainable) military and technological advantages.

Anthony Gregory of The Independent Institute discusses Murray Rothbard's 1965 essay "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty;" why Libertarians have more in common historically with the Left than the Right; how the political spectrum has been redefined over time; and how government regulation helps big corporations and punishes potential competitors.

IPS News journalist Gareth Porter discusses how the media got it wrong about Israel being "on the verge" of war with Iran in 2010; former Mossad chief Meir Dagan's warnings about Benjamin Netanyahu's reckless bluster; why Israel's military can't possibly go-it-alone on Iran; and the obstacles preventing a diplomatic solution with Iran during Obama's second term.