What does former NSA analyst turned whistleblower Edward Snowden have to tell us about liberty? About trading a little freedom for government promises of security? Does he feel that his historic release of government documents showing how the NSA spies on all of us, constantly, without a warrant, has had a positive effect on freedom? Tune in to this very special episode of the Ron Paul Liberty Report, where we speak to Snowden on these and so many more issues... read on...
A US Navy F-18 shot down a Syrian military aircraft over Syrian territory Sunday, marking the first time the US has engaged in air to air combat since the US attack on Yugoslavia in 1999. US claims that the Syrians were targeting US-backed rebels were undermined by reporting by the generally pro-rebel Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which stated that according to its sources on the ground the Syrian aircraft was not attacking US-backed anti-government forces. The Russians, who also had military aircraft near the shot down Syrian jet, claim the US did not provide warning via the hotline to prevent accidents between the US and Russia. As a result, the Russian defense ministry announced that it would track any flying object flying in its area of operations as potential targets. How high will this new tension rise? Tune in to today's Liberty Report... read on...
When it comes to bad foreign policy, the House and Senate are completely bipartisan. Yesterday's 97-2 Senate vote for more Russia sanctions was a perfect case in point. What justifies yet more sanctions on Russia? Violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine, meddling in the US election, and conducting war in Syria. But if this is the measure, shouldn't the Senate sanction the US government as well? After all, the US is violating Syria's territorial integrity with its illegal base, it has meddled in more than 100 elections since 1945, and it has been fighting a proxy (and real) war against the Syrian government since 2011. But the Deep State wants another Cold War, so the Senate abides. read on...
Defense Secretary James Mattis was grilled before the Senate yesterday, with Sen. McCain expressing his frustration that there is no new strategy yet to "win" in Afghanistan. Mattis promised a new approach by July, but the real question is that after the 2009 surge of 100,000 US troops, what kind of victory might be achieved by yet another surge, this time of perhaps 5-6,000? In today's Liberty Report we point out that victory is not possible because Washington doesn't even have a clear view of what it might look like. How many more billions of dollars wasted? How many thousands more lives lost? read on...
The new world ranking of peaceful and non-peaceful countries is out, and the results present the best case imaginable against US interventionism overseas. Of the ten least peaceful countries, nine of them have been on the receiving end of US destabilization, "regime change," or "liberation" efforts over the past decade or so. While US interventions are sold to the public as in our national security interest or to promote humanitarianism, the interventions all have one thing in common: they make things worse for the recipient country. So why do we keep doing it? Tune in to today's program... read on...
Shortly after President Trump returned from his Middle East trip, Saudi Arabia and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) broke diplomatic relations with fellow GCC member Qatar and established a blockade around the tiny country. The Saudi pretext was that Qatar supported terrorism and interfered in the affairs of other countries -- something the Saudis do in spades. President Trump initially signaled support for the Saudi move, but his Secretary of State and Defense Secretary, likely understanding that the largest US military base in the Middle East is in Qatar, have urged the countries to patch up their differences. US interventionism has backed us into a corner in that corner of the world. We discuss options in today's Liberty Report... read on...
Will the Comey Senate testimony put an end to the "Russiagate" scandal and the issue of whether President Trump will continue to be hobbled by suggestions he pressured the FBI to drop investigations? Don't count on it, but we break down today's explosive hearing in today's Liberty Report... read on...
Yesterday marked the second time US military forces have attacked Syrian government-allied forces fighting ISIS inside Syria near the Iraqi border. The US government, which maintains an illegal base on Syrian soil, claims any Syrian encroachment within 50km of the facility will be met with US military force. The mostly Shia militia that the US attacked are the same groups fighting alongside the US in Iraq and in fact may Iraqi citizens allied with the Iraqi government (which the US is also allied with). Confusing yet? Add to this that the US Senate is passing new sanctions against Iran today for its completely legal ballistic missile program and to punish Iran for shipping weapons to militias in Syria fighting ISIS. We try to put it all together in today's Liberty Report... read on...
UK Prime Minister Theresa May wants to blame YouTube for yesterday's deadly London attack. She thinks terrorism can be stopped by pushing the "superiority" of British values...and more bombs on the Middle East. President Trump wants to ban people from seven countries -- even though no one from those countries has killed Americans on US soil since the 1970s. Why is it that when they talk about terrorism, politicians can never admit the role our foreign policy plays? read on...
You don't have to drink raw milk or buy your meat directly from the farmer to agree that others should have this right. After all, the right to choose what we put in our bodies is fundamental, even if the government feels it has the right to tell us what's "good" for us. On today's program we visit the front lines of the food freedom movement, with special guest, food liberty activist Liz Reitzig. read on...
