When the state can categorize you as being part of a group it considers a threat, real or imagined, that’s all the justification the government needs to ignore your constitutional rights.@jackhunter74 for BASEDPolitics:https://t.co/eJj8TYs3z9

— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) February 7, 2022

Government officials once said that National Security Agency surveillance in no way collected the private data of American citizens. Thanks to Edward Snowden, in 2013 we learned that the U.S. government was collecting everyone’s information en masse. Government promised that the 2001 Patriot Act (passed after 9/11) would only be used to target Islamic terrorists. Today, it is used more to fight the war on drugs and other criminal activities that have little to no connection to terrorism.

In 2018, the FBI finally admitted it had spied on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Just this week, a new report showed that the NSA was still spying on all of us with few to no restrictions.

This kind of abuse is nothing new. In the mid-20th century, the NSA and FBI would spy without a warrant on suspected “domestic enemies” of the U.S.

Among those ‘enemies?’ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yes, as we celebrate Black History Month, there was a time when the most cherished hero of the 1960s civil rights struggle was viewed by our government not as a champion of racial equality but the ‘most dangerous Negro of the future of this nation,’ as the FBI called him.”

Read the entire column.

The post When the U.S. government illegally spied on Martin Luther King, Jr. appeared first on Liberty Tree.

Establishment Republicans are very upset with @TuckerCarlson for opposing their desired war over Ukraine. There are zero Democrats being loud about opposing this war.

That leaves only a Fox News host and a handful of libertarian Republicans to oppose it. https://t.co/Lv2xS4syiH

— Jack Hunter (@jackhunter74) February 3, 2022

From my latest at BASEDPolitics, “Politico reported Tuesday that hawkish Republican politicians are getting upset because Carlson’s ‘America First’ message is registering with voters back home.

These Republicans have a message for Tucker: We’re in charge. Not you.

But are they?

In a story that reads more like an opinion column at times, Politico  reporter Andrew Desiderio writes, ‘Republican senators are unmoved by Tucker Carlson’s relentless warpath against support for Ukraine—even as it widens an existing rift in their party.’

‘The Fox News prime time host and others on the far-right’ (author’s note: hawkish Republicans aren’t considered ‘far-right’ anymore? That’s new!) ‘have excused and even rationalized Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and downplayed its relevance to U.S. national security,’ the Politico story reads.

‘And while GOP senators are shrugging off his name-and-shame campaign, Carlson’s views are permeating the GOP base in a way that could undermine Republicans’ efforts to emphasize cross-party unity as they seek to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine,’ the piece continues.

In other words, Carlson is messing up hawks’ plans for the next war. Which is… the entire point of what he’s doing.”

Read the entire story.

The post Establishment Republicans team up to attack Tucker Carlson for opposing US war in Ukraine appeared first on Liberty Tree.

From my latest at BASED Politics, “On Friday, HBO host and comedian Bill Maher interviewed former American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Executive Director Ira Glasser on his HBO program ‘Real Time.”

Glasser has spoken out in recent years about how much his former organization has drifted away from its roots of fearlessly defending absolute free speech for all. He argues that partisanship has diminished the ACLU, dragging it leftward to the point of no longer defending those whose speech doesn’t reflect their ‘values.’

Glasser wanted viewers to know why he believes the ACLU’s step back from defending free speech is dangerous for the preservation of basic constitutional freedoms in the United States.

‘So you were a head of this organization for 25 years, almost, from 1978 into this century,’ Maher began. ‘It’s changing. It was a stalwart defender of free speech and civil liberties. Is it still that?’

‘Not as much,’ Glasser answered.”

Read the entire story.

The post Former ACLU head blasts org’s decline away from championing free speech appeared first on Liberty Tree.

My latest at Responsible Statecraft, “The fight on the right for what constitutes a conservative or Republican foreign policy continues. This time the battlefront is Russia and Ukraine.

That there is a fissure on this issue among conservatives is in a way, a big deal, showing that the ‘America First’ restraint approach that garnered support among the base didn’t go away completely when power changed hands in Washington and its chief advocate, Donald Trump, left town. Unfortunately, many Republicans have gone back to form and are talking like it’s the post 9/11-era — as if Trump’s criticisms of George W. Bush’s wars and nation-building had no effect on their party whatsoever…

Must read @jackhunter74 on how @TuckerCarlson @TulsiGabbard & other populists are peeling off from the Borg & asking why everyone is so bananas about going to war over Ukraine. https://t.co/TbkdMNAaUk @RichardHanania @brad_polumbo @JDVance1 @AndrewBeckUSA @jimantle @ToryAnarchist

— Kelley B. Vlahos (@KelleyBVlahos) January 26, 2022

Suddenly more conservatives and Republicans began speaking out against the prospect of U.S. military action in the region.

‘The United States should not be involved in any future war in Ukraine,’ charged libertarian populist Republican Congressman Thomas Massie on Monday.”

Read the entire column.

The post Populists on the right are now openly challenging Republican war lust appeared first on Liberty Tree.

From my latest at Based Politics, “Carlson brought up two important points. For one, why should Americans die because of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine? Secondly, he reminded viewers that elites in both parties will clamor for war every time an international conflict arises.

Carlson is on to something. For the Right, an ‘America First’ foreign policy should mean putting actual Americans before elites’ interests and ideologies…

Most sensible people likely recoil at the idea of risking putting American lives on the line over Ukraine.

Yet to the degree that the American public can be convinced to support a war, how they consume their news—including mostly Republican and independent voters watching big time players like Carlson, Hannity and Ingraham—can play an important role.

Yes, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had 9/11 as justification for their wars, but those who lived through it remember how much the conservative-leaning Fox News pushed for our military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. That two of the top personalities at Fox News now put out a non-interventionist message—something anti-war conservatives and libertarians couldn’t have fathomed 15 years ago—is a sight to behold.

Former President Donald Trump blew up the old definition of what constitutes a conservative or Republican foreign policy. Today, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham can’t say ‘America First’ enough…”

Read the entire column.

The post Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham put ‘America First’ on Russia-Ukraine appeared first on Liberty Tree.

“A planner who believes he is the science leads to an arrogance that justifies in his mind using government resources to smear and to destroy the reputations of other scientists who disagree with him,’ Paul said to Fauci. ‘Do you think it’s appropriate to use your $420,000 salary to attack scientists that disagree with you?’

Fauci replied, ‘That’s not what went on. There you go again. You do the same thing every hearing.’

No, this is what Fauci does every hearing.

“Fauci didn’t answer @RandPaul. In fact, he hardly ever answers Paul. But most stories on exchanges between Fauci and Paul do not focus on the fact that a government official being held accountable by a U.S. senator is never actually held accountable.” https://t.co/nf8wCWKmta

— Jack Hunter (@jackhunter74) January 12, 2022

Fauci didn’t answer Paul. In fact, he hardly ever answers Paul. But most stories on exchanges between Fauci and Paul do not focus on the fact that a government official being held accountable by a U.S. senator is never actually held accountable. Most reports just focus on the supposed audacity of Paul for challenging Fauci and Fauci getting mad about it.

So it becomes ‘Furious’ Fauci ‘tearing’ into Paul. That’s typically the story in the mainstream press—not what Paul actually asked Fauci. Most journalists seem far less interested in that.

They want the wrestling match and to cheer for their hero.”

Read the entire column.

The post Fauci never answers Paul’s questions. The media gets mad that Paul would dare question Fauci appeared first on Liberty Tree.

My latest at The Week: “The View is apparently struggling to replace panelist Meghan McCain. ‘Sources close to the show said that the search has stalled as executives struggle to find a conservative cast member who checks all the right boxes,’ Politico reported Thursday. What are those boxes? Among them, ‘They will not consider a Republican who is a denier of the 2020 election results … or is seen as flirting too heavily with fringe conspiracy theories.’

“The View” doesn’t want to hire a right-wing conspiracy theorist. But maybe they should be more worried about left-wing conspiracy theorists instead, argues @jackhunter74. https://t.co/sfBKjzir1s

— The Week (@TheWeek) January 5, 2022

But the producers of The View don’t seem to have the same level of concern when it comes to the equally troubling left-wing conspiracies pushed on the show.

As recently as Tuesday, rotating guest co-host and Never-Trump Republican Ana Navarro said during a discussion on the upcoming anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, ‘Look, I felt that Donald Trump had not been legitimately elected. I thought he’d gotten help from the Russians.’ Apparently it is okay to deny presidential election results on ABC’s popular talk show — so long as the year under discussion is 2016. “

Read the entire column.

The post It’s apparently okay to deny the 2016 election results on ‘The View’ appeared first on Liberty Tree.

My latest at The Week, “Today the Pentagon Papers are hailed by many as an example of how a free press and people function. Yet Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a leading Jan. 6 committee member who has positioned herself as a defender of democracy against former President Donald Trump and his supporters, wanted Iceland’s government to shut down Wikileaks. ‘I would like to see them move aggressively to prosecute Mr. Assange,’ Cheney said in 2010, adding, ‘what he’s done is very clearly aiding and abetting al Qaeda.’ She’s far from the only leader on the Jan. 6 committee who feels this way.

“If Assange were found guilty of espionage for his actions, there is good reason to fear it would have a chilling effect on America’s free press and do irreparable harm to our democracy,” @jackhunter74 writes.https://t.co/ZtAxgzIZgZ

— The Week (@TheWeek) December 19, 2021

A free press is the cornerstone of any democratic society. Some will continue to argue whether the problematic Assange is actually a journalist, just as some now debate whether the Jan. 6 attack represents something greater than just the chaos of that day. But if Assange were found guilty of espionage for his actions, there is good reason to fear it would have a chilling effect on America’s free press and do irreparable harm to our democracy.”

Read the entire column.

The post Charging Julian Assange with espionage is a greater threat to democracy than January 6 appeared first on Liberty Tree.

I recently used CBD oil for the first time to treat some bruising due to a recent accident. I was amazed at how quickly it helped soothe and heal my injury.

CBD treatment has only been legal in my home state of South Carolina since 2014. Based on my minor experience, it is insane and immoral that it wasn’t available to those who might have needed it prior to seven years ago.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace is also from my home state and District 1 in South Carolina, where she continues to promote her States Reform Act. This bill would allow states to pursue their own paths concerning marijuana with no federal involvement. As the Washington Examiner reported in November, “Mace’s bill would remove marijuana and THC, its main psychoactive compound, from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively decriminalizing the drugs, and allow states to regulate them like alcohol.”

Mace continues to gather both Republican and Democrat support for her bill calling it, “Most bipartisan piece of cannabis legislation ever filed in the U.S. Congress” during a recent interview on the podcast Based Politics.

Some of Mace’s personal comments registered with me most. When asked if working with veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder inspired her to pursue reforming federal cannabis law, Mace replied, “I am not a military veteran, even though I went to The Citadel. But there are special protections for military veterans who want to make sure that they’re not discriminated against if they are users of cannabis, that want to make sure that the doctors at the VA can prescribe them cannabis for medical use. So we have those protections in there.”

Then the congresswoman described her own traumatic experience and what cannabis did for her.

“I was raped when I was 16,” Mace said. “I have told this story before, but what I hadn’t told people until I filed this bill and talked about it publicly is that when that happened.”

“I had that trauma,” Mace explained. “I dropped out of school. I was prescribed pharmaceuticals, antidepressants, medication, that made my feelings of depression actually much worse than they really were.”

Mace continued, “I stopped taking that medication and started using cannabis. This was a long time ago. I’m 44, so we’re talking a very long time ago when I was 16. But even then I knew that it’s use cut my anxiety down and helped me.”

“So when I talk to veterans, when I talk to people with PTSD that have some sort of physical or emotional trauma, I can feel that pain in my heart and I know why they use it because I’ve had that pain before,” Mace said.

“As the daughter of a military veteran, as someone whose family are veterans, it’s just really important that we put special protections in there for our veteran community as well,” Mace added.

I know what a relative smidgen of CBD oil did for me and my injury. Mace claims cannabis helped her significantly as a teenager through one of the worst traumas a woman can endure.

I know the States Reform Act merely allows the 50 states to pursue their own paths and hopefully it passes with major bipartisan support.

But in the meantime, why should anyone, anywhere who is suffering to any degree, be denied the relief that this plant obviously provides?

The post Rep. Nancy Mace touts benefits of cannabis as a teenage rape victim appeared first on Liberty Tree.

Since when has anyone named Cheney felt obligated to uphold the Constitution? Set aside for a moment whether or not you believe Trump is a threat to constitutional order or anything else.

Let’s remember where Cheney has been a threat to the rule of law and our constitutional republic…

But if the War on Terror her father waged and Obama continued to oversee was also a war on the Constitution, Mrs. Cheney was all in on that battle too.

“The same congresswoman who now warns that former President Donald Trump threatens the ‘foundations of our constitutional republic’ has not cared about the most basic precepts of the U.S. Constitution for most of her career.”@jackhunter74 with the ?:https://t.co/kRDwyrjCcz

— Brad Polumbo ?? ?‍? (@brad_polumbo) November 16, 2021

A good example was when Cheney was promoting and defending CIA operative Gina Haspel in 2018, Trump’s pick to head that agency. Cheney said Haspel “spent her career defending the American people” and her critics were simply “defending terrorists.”

Haspel had a documented role in waterboarding abroad and other “enhanced interrogation tactics,” including covering up America’s role in carrying out these atrocities.

Constitutional liberties and protections, and the United States’ moral complicity in engaging in this illegal behavior, mattered little to Cheney at the time.

Read the entire column.

The post Liz Cheney needs to stop citing the Constitution – she’s trampled it her entire career appeared first on Liberty Tree.