Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a memo to Federal Prosecutors on Friday to reverse his predecessor's directive to, when appropriate, seek less severe sentences for some drug offenses. This return to much more robust prosecution of drug offenses will lead to many more and much longer prison sentences. We already spend some $40 billion per year to prosecute and house the approximately 300,000 drug offenders in the US, many of whom non-violent. The one trillion dollar, nearly half-century war on drugs has bee an utter failure and a return to harsher penalties will do nothing to solve the problem. Why will it fail? Tune in to today's Liberty Report... read on...
As the tenth anniversary of the US war in Afghanistan approached, Rep. Ron Paul took to the Floor of Congress to demand an end to that unwinnable war. "It was said that it's hard to quit a war, and we shouldn't be quitting. But the real problem is that it's too easy to start a war," he said. In his speech, given some seven years ago, he pointed out the central problem of US intervention in Afghanistan and elsewhere: "The enemy is said to be the Taliban. Well the Taliban certainly don't like us and we don't like them. And the more we kill, the more Taliban we get." But, as he points out, the original military authorization was to retaliate against those who attacked us and the Taliban did not attack us. So here we are, seven years after this speech, and we are talking about yet another major "surge" into Afghanistan. Even though those who did attack us are long gone. When will it all end -- and where might we be if they had listened to what Ron Paul said in this speech... read on...
The Turks are not at all happy about President Trump's plan to provide heavy weapons to the Kurds fighting as US proxies against ISIS in Syria. The Turks bombed some 20 Kurdish fighters in Syria just weeks ago but with US advanced weapons in Kurdish hands, future such missions may be risky. Would the Kurds use American weapons to attack the Turks? And why does President Trump believe that digging up President Obama's already-failed strategy for eastern Syria will work this time? We take a look in today's Liberty Report... read on...
What was the real reason for the Lavrov/Tillerson/Trump meeting in Washington today? Likely it was to work out the new facts on the ground in Syria, where the "safe zones" that President Trump called for not long ago have actually been established through cooperation between Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Though the US was not a party to the agreement that created the "de-escalation" zones, it is important for Washington to understand what they mean and how the matter will proceed. Is this a sign that the Trump Administration is looking for a way out of the seemingly intractable Syrian mess created by Obama's interventionism? It is possible and would be a good sign that realism has once again entered US foreign policy decisions. I am interviewed on the implications of today's dramatic events: read on...
While everyone is talking about President Trump firing James Comey, Director of the FBI, what we should be talking about is whether we should even have an FBI. Look at the track record of this organization -- putting Americans in jail for opposing war, spying on Americans for being in peace groups, incinerating Americans at Waco, manufacturing terrorist plots and taking credit for thwarting them, and so on -- and ask whether the FBI has been a benefit to our liberty and safety or not. Forget about Comey -- it's the whole system that needs to be fired! read on...
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) published an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday taking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to task for Tillerson's recent comment that our national security goals overseas may on some occasions preclude the export of our human rights values. In McCain's view, it is our duty always and everywhere to export American values and help "liberate" oppressed masses overseas. But what about McCain's own record? How are the people doing in those countries "liberated" by the policies he has endorsed? Is the average Iraqi, or Libyan, or Syrian better off now, after US military intervention to "promote our values"? Most likely McCain's article is meant to scuttle tomorrow's meeting between Tillerson and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Will McCain succeed? We discuss in today's Liberty Report... read on...
President Trump is off to Saudi Arabia and Israel later this month, with stops at the Vatican and at a NATO summit. Since the election, a once-critical Trump has flip-flopped on Saudi Arabia, now he's expected to provide further US assistance to the ongoing Saudi war on Yemen. But much of the Saudi visit will no-doubt focus on something Trump shares with the Saudi leadership: violent antipathy toward Iran. We preview the President's trip in today's Liberty Report... read on...
This morning an agreement was reached at the Syria talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, to set up four "de-escalation" or "safe" zones inside Syria, where moderate rebels would be tolerated but extremists like al-Qaeda and ISIS and their various offshoots would not be tolerated. The Syrian and Russian governments would not conduct military action in such zones. The aim is to reduce the fighting and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. Will the "moderates" really be able to separate from the extremists and terrorists? That remains to be seen. What will be the US reaction, especially from the neocons? We'll soon see. Our take on this breaking story in today's Liberty Report... read on...
Does sending more US troops into Afghanistan make any sense? Ron Paul doesn't think so and he explains why in this new edition of #AskRonPaul in today's Liberty Report... read on...
Just when we thought the enemy of the week was going to be North Korea again. Or maybe Russia. Or Syria. It turns out that Washington's enemy of this week is...Iran! The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is pushing through a bill slapping additional sanctions on Tehran. While just a couple of weeks ago Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reported to Congress that Iran is meeting its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, President Trump accused Tehran of not abiding by the "spirit" of the treaty. Whatever that is. More in today's Liberty Report... read on...
