Tom Mullen Talks Freedom

Summary: People tend to think of capitalism and labor unions as inherently antagonistic towards each other. But they’re not. It was actually a very anti-capitalist law passed as part of the New Deal that changed the nature of the employment contract and destroyed the natural buyer-seller dynamic that would otherwise emerge. Additional Reading & Listening: Unions’ push at Amazon, Apple and Star...

Summary: We don't say someone's right to life is violated if they die in an earthquake or flood. Why? Because the right to life is much narrower than that. Properly understood, the rights to life and to possess firearms and other deadly weapons are inseparable. And despite Supreme Court decisions to the contrary, the Second Amendment forbids the federal government from regulating firearms at all,...

Summary: Elon Musk offered to buy 100% of Twitter. All who have decried the censorship of dissenting views on social media is hopeful he will be successful in acquiring the company and changing its policies. This would be a far better and more satisfying solution than violating Twitter’s property rights with regulation. Additional Reading & Listening: Elon Musk Twitter Offer SEC filing Blaming...

Summary: A revolution among parents of schoolchildren over everything from the Covid mandates children are expected to obey to the subject matter to which they’re exposed as early as kindergarten. It’s long overdue, says Jim Ostrowski. He joins Tom to discuss his new book, Free the Children: How Red State Americans Can Free Their Children From Government Schools . Guest bio: James Ostrowski is a t...

Summary: Libertarians are being unrealistic in holding out for their ideal world. The path to freedom and peace in the world we live in is to acquire power to build freer societies on the local level, says Pete Quinones. He joins Tom to discuss. Guest bio: Pete Quinones has hosted his show since July 2017 (formerly titled Free Man Beyond the Wall) and has concentrated on topics pertaining to liber...

Summary: There have been strident political disputes lately over what children are being taught in public schools. But long before critical race theory or sex ed for grammar school children, the schools – public and private – were already decidedly anti-capitalist. Additional Reading & Listening: The benefit of libertie in the planters (from John Smith’s General History of Virginia) John Taylo...

Summary: Not only is the U.S. government-media complex lying about what is happening in Ukraine, but it’s telling the same lies it did about its previous regime change project in Syria. Guest bio: Janice Kortkamp began researching Syria and the war in 2012 and has put in well over 10,000 hours in research, made hundreds of contacts in Syria also ex-pat Syrians in several other countries and made s...

Summary: From vast stretches of land to entertainment venues, the federal government owns a significant portion of what was once exclusively reserved to the private sector. Additional Reading & Listening: BLS “Jobs Report” BLS Civilian labor force participation rate "A Paradigm Shift Western Media Hasn't Grasped Yet" - Russian Ruble Relaunched, Linked To Gold & Commodities Episode 9 You Ha...

Summary: One month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Daniel McAdams joins Tom to discuss what’s going on within the Biden administration, the media’s coverage of the war, and the ongoing risk it could expand to a wider conflict involving nuclear powers.   Guest bio: Daniel McAdams is executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and Co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Re...

Summary: Following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. government placed more severe sanctions on Russia than it had on any major power since 1941. It kicked Russia out of the SWIFT system, seized its FOREX assets, and demanded the rest of the world cease trade with Russia (which even some European allies were unable to do). In response, Russia has demanded payment for its oil and natur...

Summary: The U.S. media propaganda about Ukraine has been over the top and unrelenting. But like all nations at war, Russia and Ukraine are engaging in propaganda as well. Is there any way to determine what, if anything, is real? Tom provides some tips and takes a look at how the media portrayed Zelensky before his 2019 election.    Additional Reading: Ukraine’s TV President Is Dangerous...

Summary: We constantly hear how politically divided Americans are, so much so that perhaps a national divorce might be necessary. While that would be a good thing, it turns out Americans aren’t as divided as they may believe.    Additional Reading: Repressive Tolerance by Herbert Marcuse Common Sense by Thomas Paine Where Do Conservatives and Liberals Come From?: And What Ever Happened t...

Summary: Republicans, Democrats, and the media all incessantly invoke “our democracy,” a political system that doesn’t exist. Almost nobody talked like this for the first century and a half under our Constitution and one should be suspicious of the motives for doing so now.    Additional Reading: United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches Where Do Conservatives and Liberals Come From?:...

Summary: When U.S. foreign policy backfires, which is pretty much all the time, it’s easy to blame the sitting president. But if Americans truly want a different foreign policy, they need to understand how the DC empire runs. Additional Reading: Blaming elites is childish; It’s time to put aside childish things Read Donald Trump's 'America First' Foreign Policy Speech The America First Movement ha...

Summary: The U.S. media has presented a uniform, uncritical view of the war in Ukraine. Gilbert Doctorow draws on his decades of experience living and working in Russia to separate the facts from the fiction. Guest bio: Gilbert Doctorow is an independent political analyst based in Brussels. He chose this third career of 'public intellectual' after finishing up a 25-year career as corporate executi...

Summary: Austrian economist Robert Murphy, Ph. D. joins Tom to discuss Klaus Schwab and the Davos crowd, the ramifications of academic error, and his new book, Understanding Money Mechanics . Guest bio: Robert P. Murphy is a Senior Fellow with the Mises Institute. He is the author of numerous books: Contra Krugman: Smashing the Errors of America's Most Famous Keynesian; Chaos Theory; Lessons for t...

Summary: Mark Crispin Miller taught a course on propaganda for over 20 years at New York University, until merely suggesting his students look into the research regarding the effectiveness of masks in mitigating the spread of respiratory viruses. This led to a backlash that eventually resulted in the course being canceled. How convenient for the propagandists. He joins Tom to discuss the propagand...

Summary: President Biden has announced a ban on Russian oil imports into the United States. He acknowledges this will hurt American consumers but promises to ease as much pain as possible by punishing American gasoline providers. We’ve been here before. Additional Reading: The Government Declares War on Market Prices Just When We Need Them Most Will Poland Sacrifice Itself Again for a Global Empir...

Summary: Now that the Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted, people are likely thinking they can get back to pursuing happiness. But what is happiness and how does one go about attaining it? In his new book, How and How Not to Be Happy , J. Budziszewski applies his lifetime of study to answering those questions, while refuting several myths about human happiness along the way. Guest bio: J. Budzi...

Summary: Jay Powell again admitted the Federal Reserve was wrong on inflation, believing it to be “transitory” last year but realizing it is anything but transitory. He says he’s committed to fighting it, but with merely a .25% rate cut this month and no reduction in the Fed’s massive balance sheet. But if the economy is as strong as he says it is, why not fight inflation harder? Additional Readin...

Summary: There are myriad lists of best and worst presidents in U.S. history compiled by historians. Typically, presidents who helped expand the power of the federal government, led America into a major war, or both, are found at the top, while those whose governance benefited their constituents the most are found at the bottom. Warren G. Harding is in the latter category. He’s often named one of...

Summary: The United States spends more on its military than the next ten nations combined. The vast majority of this spending does not go towards hot wars, but rather to maintain the worldwide standing army that includes hundreds of thousands of troops stationed outside U.S. borders. But as the NATO response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just proved, no nuclear power can afford to go to war with...

Summary: Every traditional and social media outlet is flooded with one story: President Putin of Russia is absolutely evil for invading Ukraine “for no reason,” while President Zelensky of Ukraine is a gallant hero for bravely standing his ground to resist. But when you remove the emotionally charged packaging, the situation in Ukraine looks very similar to some previous conflicts the U.S. governm...

Summary: So divisive have American politics become that conservatives and liberals now openly talk about “national divorce,” meaning dissolving the existing union to allow red and blue states to either govern themselves or join smaller, likeminded federations. While there is nothing wrong with considering this solution, one less daunting may be staring Americans in the face. Suzanne Sherman lays i...

Summary: They changed George Washington’s birthday to “Presidents’ Day” to honor all the presidents, no matter how terrible they were, especially Lincoln, who was one of the worst. The holiday is usually accompanied by many best/worst president’s lists as seen by historians. Not surprisingly, you can read these backwards and they make much more sense. Additional Reading: Both Lincoln and the Confe...