The Freedom Report

Libertarian Party activists supporting the presidential ticket think they have a foolproof plan to win votes: alienate conservatives and go full blown leftist in their policies. Will that work? Here former LP presidential candidate Austin Petersen and editor in chief of Liberty Viral Laura Meyers sit down in a live chat with fans to discuss. 

Fox Business Network hosted a presidential debate for Libertarian Party candidates Austin Petersen, John McAfee, and Gary Johnson. Here's the audio from the first part of the debate. The second half of the debate will air Friday April the 8th. 

Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Austin Petersen's latest podcast focuses on the attacks by ISIS in Paris. Petersen describes the legal processes which the United States must follow in order for any escalation of force to comply with constitutional law, and describes the steps he would take in order to combat Islamic terrorism.  Do we have to sacrifice liberty for security? Petersen says no, and in this show he describes why.  Also included is a fairly lengthy description of life on the campaign trail, and what steps you can take to be involved in the Petersen 2016 campaign. 

Professor Lawrence White Professor Lawrence White, an economist from George Mason University, joins the Freedom Report podcast today to discuss free market monetary policy. At the Jackson Hole Summit, White and a group of rebel economists gathered to discuss the topic of whether or not central banks are the problem or the solution to America's financial woes.  Professor White is an advocate of "free banking," which is the Austrian economic system of ending the Federal Reserve and allowing the free market to regulate the supply of money in the marketplace. We don't allow government to set the price of bread, gas, or cars... so why do we allow them to set the price of money?  Professor White believes that money has become controlled by political interests, and thinks that the free market can more effectively allow for stable economic growth, without all the booms and busts of the modern era.  The Federal Reserve has got to go. Today's podcast delves into the nuances of monetary policy, how the Federal Reserve came to be, their track record, and what a more free market policy would work. Professor White joins us in this very special episode, broadcasting from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

Bloomberg writer Megan McCardle penned an interesting op-ed comparing presidential candidate Donald Trump to former POTUS challenger Ron Paul. McCardle seems to have found interesting parallels in the vociferousness of both group's supporters, and has some amusing anecdotes about being contacted by their supporters during the previous and current general elections. Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast looks at the supporters of Donald Trump, and contrasts those with the supporters of fellow contender for the GOP crown, Rand Paul. Paul issued a scathing attack against Trump in the pages of IJReview, pleading with his fellow Tea Partiers not to fall for Trump's fake conservatism. But will Paul's strategy of painting Trump as a liberal backfire? And can a strategy of attacking Trump even do anything to boost Paul's sagging poll numbers? We'll analyze the difference. And is redneck a racist term? Last Saturday, The Libertarian Republic visited a highway overpass rally populated by flag bearing conservatives. It just so happened that these supporters of limited government were flying the flag of one of the biggest would-be governments in history, the Confederacy. While a raucous debate erupted after our editor called the ethics of flying the flag into question, the ideas of how to market unpopular ideas is an important one, especially in light of the candidacy of one Donald J. Trump. With so many calling for a revival of the Tea Party movement, it is no clearer sign that the movement is dead. But how did it die? Editor Austin Petersen explains why he believes the movement destroyed itself, and the roots lie in those who reflexively support ideas, and candidates, of which they have no knowledge. Subscribe on iTunes, and leave us a 5-star review!

The Fox News Republican Presidential debate was an exciting, raucous event, featuring 10 candidates who polled high enough to be included. A second tier debate, held earlier in the evening, featured 7 other candidates vying for the top spot in the Republican primary. So who won?  Today's Freedom Report podcast does a full breakdown of the greatest moments of the second debate, with a nod of deference to the winner of the second tier event, Carly Fiorina. Although Fiorina failed to make the cut for the main event, her cool, even performance distinguished herself enough for many pundits and politicos to take notice. Will she make it into the big event next time? We'll look at her chances in today's show.  And what about the main event? Donald Trump stood alone in claiming that he wouldn't rule out a third party run. Senator Rand Paul immediately took him to task, arguing that he's already half in the bag for the Clintons. Trump and Paul sparred, with the two candidates verbally shuffling and jabbing one another and no clear winner. Trump landed the final blow when he poked Paul over his donating money to the senator.  Former Ohio Governor John Kasich gave a beautiful answer to the question over whether he'd support gay marriage. Kasich responded that he would always give his family unconditional love no matter what, despite his support of the conservative definition of marriage.  Dr. Ben Carson elevated the IQ on the debate stage, and although he only had a small amount of time, the retired neurosurgeon certainly made a good impression with his final closing statements. We play his remarks on today's show.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Senator Paul sparred over national security, in what was clearly the most pivotal moment of the entire debate. Christie pulled the "9/11" card, while Paul argued that we should always obey the 4th amendment and the Bill of Rights. Christie claimed that while he was convicting terrorists, Paul was blowing hot air in a subcommittee, to which Paul responded that he didn't trust Obama with his personal records and stabbed Christie by saying "I know you gave him a hug."  But who was the overall winner in my opinion? You'll have to listen in to find out, and don't forget to subscribe to the Freedom Report on iTunes and leave us a 5-star review!  Sources: A Foxy, Rowdy Republican Debate Carly Fiorina, the Runaway Winner Rand Paul got the least talk time Rand Paul has the best moment in tense debate with 9/11 obsessed Chris Christie

These are the times that try men's souls... -Paine Senator Rand Paul's campaign for the presidency has been reeling from bad press in the past week, many of it from (so called) current, and former supporters. An article in Politico by Jonathan Bydlak deconstructed Paul's message, comparing it to his father, and arguing that he's tired of supporting the Kentucky senator.  But while some of us may be tired, we will stand until we can stand no longer.  The heroes of the American Revolution were all too familiar with the problems of desertion, lack of courage and resolve. When times were hard, and Washington's army wintered at Valley Forge, desertions were common, as were those whose loyalties gave way to the British Crown. Now today, the modern American libertarian movement faces a similar challenge. We are engaged in a titanic struggle against vastly larger forces, better funded and equipped, with better propaganda outlets, and the backing of the US political establishment. Will we turn tail and run, or criticize our fellow patriots while we are in our darkest hour? Or will we stand with Rand, and commit to finish what we have started?  Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast takes aim at the criticisms with some famous quotes from 1776, the words of Thomas Paine and Sam Adams. We also pull from Morton Blackwell's "Laws of the Public Policy Process" in order to examine the best possible solutions which can help govern our movement's future actions.  Also, we at The Libertarian Republic have a very exciting announcement. We've teamed up with PurplePAC, a liberty-loving political action committee aimed at helping Senator Paul get elected. The PAC is giving away $10,000 in prizes to YOU, for your best ideas on how to help Rand Paul get elected President of the United States. You heard that right. 5 people will receive $2,000 for their best ideas. And the best part is that you can enter to win as many times as you like. Simply go to purplepac.org/contest in order to enter, or just click here and submit your entry. The contest closes at the end of August, so get your entries in soon and you could not only save your pocketbook, but your country as well.  I'm here at Valley Forge, standing with Rand. Will you stand with me?  Listen: 

People's emotions are running high over an incident in Zimbabwe where an American dentist killed a famous lion in a trophy hunt using a bow and arrow.  Walter Palmer is receiving death threats after it emerged that he killed "Cecil," a tourist's favorite and a protected lion from a national park. Palmer claims that he was acting in good faith, and that he didn't mean to kill a protected lion, but that hasn't stopped the death threats from people who don't understand conservation or economics.  From the Star Tribune:  Walter J. Palmer of Eden Prairie, a practicing dentist in Bloomington and a prominent bow-and-arrow hunter, issued a statement addressing the killing on July 1 of Cecil, a lion that was a favorite among tourists and wildlife researchers. “I hired several professional guides, and they secured all proper permits,” Palmer’s statement read. “To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled. “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.” Zimbabwe game officials said Tuesday that two of Palmer’s guides are facing charges in the incident and that they “are looking for Palmer.” Palmer, 55, who pleaded guilty to a license violation after shooting a black bear in Wisconsin in 2008, said he has not been contacted by any authorities in Zimbabwe or the U.S., but added that he will cooperate with investigators. The public-relations firm that worked with Palmer on the statement said he was in the Twin Cities on Tuesday. “Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion,” the statement concluded. Despite Palmer's apology, people are excoriating the dentist for the kill. Late night host Jimmy Fallon took a poke at his manhood, suggesting that Palmer take Viagra if he needed to get an erection in killing something. That's funny, but it doesn't get to the heart of the matter over whether it should be legal to trophy hunt, and whether or not it's ethical.  It's legal AND ethical. Providing the hunter does follow the proper permitting process, which in this case it may not be so. But in the instances where a trophy hunter does follow proper procedure, the extraordinary amount of money paid to hunt exotic animals is reinvested back in the natural habitat or park where the animals are taken.  Today's Freedom Report podcast takes a look at the economics of hunting, and analyzes the cost/benefit of taking wild animals.

Today's Freedom Report podcast takes a look at senator Rand Paul's trailing presidential campaign. Paul raised $7 million in the second quarter, with 60 percent of those donations coming from people who donated less than $200. The only campaign with more small dollar donations was Ben Carson, but the other candidates such as Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz raised more, a lot more. So what's happening? One supporter argued in the Wall Street Journal that Rand Paul has chased off his support base by a more interventionist sounding foreign policy. If that's true, then why hasn't the Republican base turned to Paul as their populist champion instead of blowhard like Trump?  From the WSJ:  Drew Ivers, who was the Iowa chairman for Ron Paul’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, is uncommitted so far in the 2016 race. He said Rand Paul has lost a substantial portion of his father’s following because he has deviated from his father’s isolationist foreign-policy view. While Ron Paul backs the nuclear agreement with Iran, Rand Paul is opposed. Ron Paul called for decreasing military spending; Rand Paul is for increasing the military’s budget. Ron Paul blames the U.S. and European powers for the troubles in Ukraine; Rand Paul last year wrote an op-ed in Time magazine saying “Putin must be punished.” “Rand needs to be articulating the negatives of our foreign policy. But he has chosen not to articulate that,” Mr. Ivers said. “These kinds of things would energize his base but he has moved away from them.” Also, a source close to The Libertarian Republic reported that Senator Paul hasn't been asking the big money donors to give to his campaign. What gives?  All that and more on this (very rushed) episode of The Freedom Report podcast! Don't forget to subscribe to TLR for an ad-free experience! 

Unchecked Immigration, Feminism And Manginas: Life In Modern Day Sweden  The Angry Foreigner joins The Freedom Report podcast today and he's seriously pissed off. At what you ask? His country Sweden is overrun by progressive feminists, aided and abetted by effete manginas.  Is Sweden the rape capital of Europe? Our podcast today looks at the problems associated with a culture of rampant political correctness, racial self-hatred, and unchecked immigration. The Angry Foreigner's views and opinions on the Freedom Report podcast today are sure to get you questioning.  From JewsNews:  The risk of being raped in Sweden during one’s lifetime is one out of four, which is probably equal to the risk of being raped in countries in war, such as Iraq or Syria. When it comes to rapes, Islamized Sweden is already in a state of war. Sweden does not publish statistics on immigrant crime. If we want to have a hint about who is committing these tens of thousands of rapes and other types of sexual assaults yearly, we can turn to Sweden’s neighbor Norway, the country most similar to Sweden. Here 100% of all attack-rapes (rapes where the attacker and the victim did not know each other beforehand) in the last five years in Oslo were committed by immigrants from “non-Western” countries. In Stavanger, a major Norwegian city, 90% of rapes are committed by “immigrants.”

Today's Freedom Report podcast is a fun-filled freakfest, full of funny questions about politics, life, sex, and everything else. The lovely Irish Laura "Shore an begorrah" Meyers joins us, as well as one of our favorite Canadians Ryan "The Lion" Carillo! Please subscribe on iTunes! And remember, if you hate our advertising, you can subscribe for a low monthly fee! Check it out, and we posted all the questions we answered below.  Jim E. Rustler If a female tree falls in the forest, but no one is around to hear it, who raped it? -----> Richard Sloboda Well first of all of the female tree had lower hanging leaves she wouldn't have been raped in the first place Nathan J. Lauffer If man caused climate change were real, and as described by the political left, would government intervention be needed or could the free market solve it in some way? Kurt Stubbe Muslim women want to cover their faces during citizenship ceremonies in Canada. Yes or no? Justin Grell: What is the best way to win over a lady I have been crushing on since middle school, oh master? Caleb Alexander Franz Would you like to see a Paul v Sanders face off next year? Keith Whitworth Do you even lift, bro? Eric Albon What's your favorite Ron Swanson moment? Nathan J. Lauffer Are you even pro-life in the case of rape and incest? Do you believe life begins at conception? If not, when does it? If so, what do you believe should be done with frozen embryos that aren't used? Mike Fenn: Do you feel that being a libertarian requires a basic belief that people if given the right opportunity will make the correct decision? James Pickett should ppl be allowed to carry a weapon while out drinking alcohol? Jerome Alexander Longoria Do you take interns? Rich Hilgemann What do you think about all the rank and file Republicans in state legislatures moving towards a more Libertarian view on marriage? Would you support state run civil unions that would allow anyone to be contractually bound to another person for monetary policy? How would the federal government deal with the lost revenue from inheritance and death taxes once people figure out that they can be civilly united to anyone including family members? Lily Sikes Will you give my marathon fundraising page for Misericordia a shout-out? http://www.firstgiving.com/.../2015-bank-of-america... Misericordia offers a community of care that maximizes potential for persons with mild to profound developmental disabilities, many of whom are also physically challenged. Through a spectrum of residential options on its 31-acre Chicago campus and in the community, and with a wide variety of job programs, Misericordia currently serves more than 600 children and adults from diverse racial, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Twenty percent of our residents either come from poverty families or have no families and are wards of the State. Misericordia cannot provide the high standard of care without donations from private funders. While some

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast is the great sex debate! Our Canadian writer friend Ryan Carillo flew down from America's hat to join us live on the show today, along with the always lovely Laura Meyer, who took up the ladies side of the argument. A rash of videos showing women getting punched by men started a conversation about just how equal the sexes really are. Dr. Keith Ablow on Fox News discussed the recent controversy where a Florida State Quarterback punched a girl in the face after she instigated by striking him first. Ablow argued that the recent push for co-ed sports such as wrestling and MMA makes the idea of not hitting girls an "antiquated notion." Is that really the case? Listen to today's debate and don't forget to subscribe on iTunes. Also, The Libertarian Republic is now ad-free for our subscribers. 

The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma in a 7-2 decision ordered the monument of the 10 Commandments be removed from the grounds of the Capitol. Governor Mary Fallin has refused to remove it while her and several legislators work to amend the constitution in such a way as to allow the state sponsoring of religion.  Today's Freedom Report podcast takes aim at the issue of the separation of church and state. Is it unconstitutional for the 10 commandments to be placed on the grounds? A public official paid for the monument with his own private money, but the constitution of the state of Oklahoma reads:  “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such,” according to the Oklahoma Constitution. That may be why legislators are seeking to put a vote to the public which would strike that section of the constitution, leaving the door open for the state to be able to directly fund and support any religion they choose. But does the federal U.S. Constitution outlaw that? The answer is yes, and no. Our show today breaks down why.  Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, and remember we now have a version of our website that is ad-free! You can become a monthly, or annual subscriber by creating a free account and then clicking here.

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast looks at the new "draconian" California law which removes the religious or philosophical objections to parents wishing not to immunize their children. Do paranoid conspiracy kooks lead to bigger government? A measles outbreak radiating out from southern California's Disneyland spurred the legislation, causing an uproar and national debate about not just whether parents should be required to vaccinate their kids, but whether the vaccines were linked to autism. "The Disneyland outbreak is quite possibly a direct consequence of the growing anti-vaccination movement in the United States," said study author Maimuna Majumder, a research fellow at Boston Children's Hospital. Comedian Jim Carrey made waves when he took to Twitter to call California Governor Jerry Brown a 'fascist' for the law. Carrey says he isn't "anti-vaccine," but that he's "anti-neutrotoxin." [sic]  Today's podcast debunks the anti-vaccination movement's key claims about the efficacy of vaccines, and offers an explanation for how assholes, kooks, concerned moms and other cranks lead to bigger government. Subscribe on iTunes!   

Author Thaddeus Russell joins the Freedom Report podcast today to discuss racism, minorities, and American culture in the backdrop of the shootings in South Carolina. Russell is the author of The Renegade History of the United States, a controversial book that examines how the malcontents, mischief makers, and ne'er do wells in American history were the true pioneers of American freedom as we know it today. He's also a professor at Occidental College, with a controversial history of his own. Russell was fired from a job after he made controversial comments about MLK and black culture. So what does he say when asked about whether the problems with blacks in modern America are of their own making? Today's interview with Russell examines racial problems in America, as well as the culture of conservatism in the wake of the legalization of gay marriage. Please subscribe on iTunes.