The Freedom Report

The Freedom Report podcast today examines the issues surrounding the recent court ruling which struck down Washington D.C.'s onerous gun laws. People who have a registered firearm are now allowed to open carry in public in the capital city. The ruling also allows for those who are not citizens of the district with registered firearms to carry theirs as well, granting full reciprocity under the law. But will the District of Columbia appeal the ruling?  Listen and find out more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

Texas teenager Kendall Jones is being attacked by animal rights activists for posing with photos of her hunting exotic wild animals. The 19-year-old has photos of her with spotted leopards, elephants, lions and hippos. Claiming that she is a conservationist, Jones defends her hunting of big game by arguing that she goes through the proper permitting process to hunt them and that sometimes these animals pose a danger to local human and livestock populations.  So, is she a-mazing or a maniac? Listen and leave your comments below. 

The Libertarian Republic takes on the topic of actor Gary Oldman's controversial statements in an interview with Playboy magazine. Oldman outed himself as a "libertarian" who hates political correctness and then went on to defend Mel Gibson and his anti-semitic statements that earned him the ire of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League. Oldman initially seemed to confirm Gibson's rants that Hollywood was under what the ADL described as "Jewish control," but is that really the case, or is it just more fuel for lunatic conspiracy theories? To his credit, Oldman backed away from his statements, but the ADL refused to accept his apology.  Plus, The Libertarian Republic's sister site LibertyViral.com has hit the scene and it's already causing enormous controversy. In this podcast we discuss the implications of free speech and speaking truth to power. Are we immune to the consequences of our free speech? All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

The Freedom Report podcast today interviewed Jeffrey Tucker about his opinion on a variety of topics including bitcoins, Brutalists and bad Catholics. Tucker breaks down the brouhaha over the latest Bitcoin battle where a mining syndicate could potentially threaten the security of the crypto-currency. Could one bad actor be the ballast breaker for the burgeoning Bitcoin? And as a practicing Catholic and Anarcho-Capitalist, what does Mr. Tucker think about the recent attacks by the church leadership on free market capitalism? Tucker buoys the hopes of fellow believers with his blistering attacks on bitter people who oppose barter, voluntarism and free trade. But what about those darn Brutalists? The great unwashed of the liberty movement have rallied together under the banner of Brutalism following an article Tucker wrote bashing the bad actors. But does he regret giving birth to the butthead brigades? All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast!  

Rabble-rousing rockstar Gavin McInnes is out with his latest list of "hatefacts" that are sure to piss off every white liberal weenie who has the guts to read them. He calls them "15 Myths That Millenials Want You To Believe," but we all know that 'millenials' is just code words for liberal weenies. After all, it was McInnes who boldly called out white liberal nerds for worshiping at the altar of Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Was America stolen from the Indians? Is the U.S. really a nation of immigrants? Is a "tranny" really a woman? Was America built on slavery? Do women really make less than men? And what about the gays? Do they really live the same lives as straight people? Gavin's list is the most controversial thing we've read recently and certainly deserves your attention!  You can read McInnes' article here. (15 BS Myths Millenials Believe As Fact) In a podcast that's sure to offend everyone, the Freedom Report takes on Gavin's list to confirm or debunk many of the "myths" that McInnes postulates. We admit, we're big fans of his work here, but some of the things that he posits are just blatantly untrue. Do you agree, or disagree? Listen to the show and leave your thoughts below.  

Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are teaming up with Diane Feinstein (D-CA) to co-sponsor a bill that would institute a federal ban on online gambling. In a move that is widely hailed as a giveaway to casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, Lee has come out with a statement against online gambling that sounds like something cooked up in a libertarian's feverish nightmares. Lee claims that the federal government should ban online gambling due to the risk that it could be used to finance terrorism, or that children could access it and because it's difficult to regulate. Lee also sheds crocodile tears over the fear that online gambling could "exploit" people with gambling addiction. Oh really, Senator?  This episode of the Freedom Report takes aim at cronyism in the GOP, and whether Senator Mike Lee, tea party champion has abandoned his free market principles in order to get a big payout from casino tycoon Adelson. Will supporting this bill and getting in bed with Lindsey Graham doom Senator Lee's future grassroots support?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

A new political action committee called Liberty In Pink is on the scene, and they're on a mission to find female candidates for public office. Executive Director Melissa Denker says that the organization isn't just looking for anyone though. Liberty In Pink is targeting their approach to find ladies who want to run for office to represent ideas from a perspective of economic freedom and personal liberty. Denker says she doesn't care what party line the ladies they recruit run on. It isn't about Republicans or Democrats, it's about ideas. Whatever party the candidates choose to run as, they can do so, provided they adhere to a certain set of principles that the PAC represents. So what are those principles? Listen to the Freedom Report to find out! 

The Freedom Report podcast today looks at the developing crisis in Iraq as ISIS fighters position themselves to overthrow the U.S. installed government in Baghdad. ISIS fighters have already captured Mosul, the second largest city in the nation, and Washington D.C. is promising weapons and aid to the beleaguered government of Nouri al Maliki. ISIS fighters have been committing targeted murders across the country, mercilessly killing their enemies on streets and in vehicles as they seek to consolidate power. Kurdish fighters gained control of a key oil field in the northern region, and oil prices began to rise on Thursday morning.  Is Iraq on the verge of collapse? Who are the ISIS fighters and what are their goals? All that and more on this episode of the Freedom Report podcast! 

President Barack Obama praised Australia's tough measures to confiscate guns in a question and answer session on Tuesday. Speaking to users of the blogging site Tumblr, the president remarked, "Couple of decades ago, Australia had a mass shooting, similar to Columbine or Newtown. And Australia just said, well, that’s it, we’re not doing, we’re not seeing that again, and basically imposed very severe, tough gun laws, and they haven’t had a mass shooting since. Our levels of gun violence are off the charts. There’s no advanced, developed country that would put up with this." The president must have failed to read a report by his own Department of Justice which last year found that gun violence in the United States is at a 20 year low. Despite that, the administration is threatening to take unilateral action via executive order on guns. White House spokesman Josh Earnest stated, “The president’s goal is to look for opportunities to act administratively, unilaterally using his executive authority to try to make our communities safer."  But does gun control actually make us safer? And is it really a straw man for libertarians to accuse liberals of wanting to take our guns if the president praises policies such as Australia's?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

The Freedom Report takes on the difficult issue of policing our own today. After reports surfaced of two conspiracy theorists who went on a shooting rampage, killing two cops and a concealed carry owner, some people calling themselves libertarians claimed that the murderers were heroes. Left wing media outlets licked their lips in glee at the reports that killers Jerad and Amanda Miller were fans of Ron Paul, FreedomWorks, Rand Paul, and most notably conspiracy theorist supreme: Alex Jones. Of course any fringe movement will attract lunatics. The communists in the 1960's had to deal with Lee Harvey Oswald killing the very anticommunist President John F Kennedy. But one of the leading progressives of the time, a man named Saul Alinsky, instructed his fellow socialists to cut their hair, wear a suit and infiltrate if they wanted to actually bring their ideas to power. But many libertarians have expressed hostility at people who suggest they should clean up their act and stop acting like freaks if they want to actually change things. Is it really statism to suggest that taking a shower before you go to an open carry event might be a good idea? The Libertarian Republic Associate Editor Ian Huyett and Austin Petersen break down the difference between moral and legal responsibility for driving people insane, as well as deconstructs the idea of whether kooky fringe types are the majority of libertarians, or just a vocal minority. 

Austin Petersen speaks with Connor Boyack, a leading Mormon libertarian and children’s author. Boyack’s book “The Tuttle Twins Learn About ‘The Law’” – which can be purchased at tuttletwins.com -  is designed to help homeschoolers and other liberty-minded parents introduce their children to the thinking of Frédéric Bastiat. Boyack talks about his work combating forcible entry and bulk data collection in the Mormon environment of Utah. He also announces, for the first time, the subject of his next children’s book. All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast. 

President Barack Obama is in hot water with members of his own party after Chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) complained that the president did not inform her of the planned prisoner exchange. Feinstein was "surprised" and "dismay" that the transfers went ahead without her consultation "totally not following the law" in notifying the senatorial committee that is tasked with oversight of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Did the president violate the law in trading 5 Taliban commanders for POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? Fox News Contributor Charles Krauthammer claims that the president does have the authority to act unilaterally to perform a prisoner exchange. He argues that the congressional notification clause was meant to prevent the president from clearing out the entire base, not to stop him from a simple transfer. But Senator Marco Rubio of Florida disagrees, claiming that the president is acting like a monarch or an emperor in not fulfilling his obligations to notify congress that he was releasing prisoners from Gitmo. Sgt. Bergdahl's former squad members have been taking turns pillorying him in the media, claiming that he deserted them and that their fellow soldiers died searching for him. The New York Times is reporting that Bergdahl left a note which stated his intentions in leaving his post. Some news outlets are also reporting that Bergdahl renounced his American citizenship. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave a speech to soldiers at Bagram Air Force base trying to extol the prisoner swap, but members of the military sat grim faced and silent over the news, seemingly unhappy with the deal that saw an alleged deserter traded for high level Taliban prisoners whose release could jeopardize American national security. President Obama is now backing away from claims that Sgt. Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction" as previously claimed. Meanwhile, the Taliban has released a video of the hostage swap showing the dramatic helicopter evacuation of Sgt. Bergdahl. The Afghanistan based terror group is calling the entire operation a great success and declaring it a great victory against the United States. Just what is going on in Washington D.C.? Find out on this exciting episode of the Freedom Report podcast!

Freed Prisoner of War Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is slated to be promoted, fueling speculation about whether or not he will be court martialed after it was revealed by the New York Times that he left a note that allegedly confirms he deserted his platoon. Fellow platoon members have been speaking out against him, claiming that men died in the hunt for Sgt. Bergdahl and suggesting that he should be put on trial.  Opponents of the Obama administration are rushing to condemn the president over the prisoner swap that saw five high-ranking Taliban commanders go free. Did Obama release Bergdahl to shield himself from the scandal at the Veterans Affairs administration? Has the president put the U.S. in danger by negotiations with terrorists? Did Obama break the law?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast. 

The Washington Post dissected Reason Magazine editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie's article titled "Libertarianism 3.0," which analyzed three distinct epochs in the movement's history.  Gillespie posits that the first wave spans the 1960's and 70's, when groups were deciding what it really meant to be a libertarian. Then the second wave, libertarianism 2.0 was the last thirty years, when the movement became its own separate ideological entity, distinct from a conservative movement that saw it as something of a red-headed step child.  Now Gillespie sees the modern day movement as the third iteration, libertarianism 3.0, which he sees as following two distinct paths. The first path is the movement against identifying with a major party, which gives movement libertarians the ability to form short term coalitions with people who are of like mind on important issues. One example he draws is the fight against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the senate version, the Protect Intellectual Property Act. Both of these initiatives were defeated by progressive/libertarian alliances.  The second path is the infiltration of the GOP by liberty-loving types who are infusing the party with more socially tolerant views on issues. Gillespie believes that soon libertarians could be driving the agenda on social and fiscal issues in the future. But is he right? Could a libertarian/conservative alliance work alongside a progressive/libertarian coalition? Can we set aside our differences on a variety of issues to be able to team up in the important areas where we actually agree?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

Homeowner Byron Smith was convicted of premeditated murder and given two life sentences without chance of parole for shooting and killing two thieves who had repeatedly burgled his residence over the course of a summer. Smith was convicted after a jury listened to an audio recording of the incident that the man had captured which revealed him laying a trap for the burglars and shooting them both after they broke into his basement where he had been hiding. Smith's rants after the shootings appear to paint him in a bad light due to the manner in which he first shot one burglar, then hid their body in a tarp, and then shot the other, finishing them off with extra shots and stating openly that he did it to make sure they would never come back to hurt him later. So was his shooting of the burglars justified? And if not, what should have been the sentence? Surely not premeditated murder? All that and more on this episode of the Freedom Report podcast.