Rumble: a market solution to YouTube censorship

All Americans should join Rumble’s free speech fight | Washington Times - Dean Karayanis:

illustration: Washington Times

December 6, 2021 - "In an era with precious little common ground, everyone objects to social media platforms. Conservatives gripe that they put speech in the hands of Big Tech oligarchs, corporate liberals that reap billions while giving content creators mere pennies. But upstart video platform Rumble has chosen another route, and it’s better to light a candle than tweet about the darkness. 

"Rumble’s simple commitment to open expression just gained a big-time ally. The platform just joined forces with CF Acquisition Corp. VI, an entity sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald, which is expected to provide about $400 million to the 'neutral video platform.'

"Rumble not only respects free speech; it offers monetization for videos ten times that of Google’s YouTube, which recently demonetized 'Sad Little Man' for criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci. The video’s content may make Dr. Fauci’s fans faint, but is it any different [from] the music video for the ’80s hit 'Land of Confusion' by Genesis, which depicted a grotesque, senile puppet of President Ronald Reagan kissing a chimp and accidentally nuking the world? 

"I had a front-row seat for two of the media’s biggest free-speech revolutions: ‘The Rush Limbaugh Show' and Fox News Channel (FNC). Before them, the majority of Americans tuned in to see their beliefs ridiculed or ignored.... Rumble is still a digital David taking on Google’s Goliath, but those of us who left Rush’s TV show to launch Fox in 1996 didn’t think the country would support a third cable news network, especially with Microsoft and NBC backing MSNBC. But we were young and figured the gig would last just long enough to pay off our bar tabs. Twenty years later, what is now the #1 cable news channel, proved us wrong.... 

"FNC had Rupert Murdoch’s deep pockets.... Thanks to its merger, Rumble now has that key ingredient of financing. More importantly, they have that commitment to freedom..... Rumble has an uphill climb every bit as steep as Rush and Fox, but they benefit from the fact that Americans are disillusioned with Big Tech. We can watch videos without being transformed into mindless zombies out of a George Romero film — and we like to get paid for what we create.

"We’ll hear a lot of shade thrown at Rumble as it eats away at YouTube’s market share. But America is still an exception to a world of repression, and 44 million have already flocked to its platform, eager to be free of censorship, biased algorithms and digital serfdom."

Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/dec/6/all-americans-should-join-rumbles-free-speech-figh/

Utah legislators seek to curb emergency powers

Bill on public health orders moves forward in Utah legislature | Fox News - Ben Winslow:

February 16, 2021 - "A bill that puts limits on the governor's ability to issue a state of emergency or public health orders is advancing on Capitol Hill with bipartisan support.... Senate Bill 195 ... puts up a number of guardrails on the governor's ability to enact public health orders and state of emergency declarations. It is in direct response to a public dispute between then-Governor Gary Herbert and legislative leadership on COVID-19 health orders. When lawmakers sought to end his state of emergency, he allowed it to expire and then issued a brand new one every 30 days....

"The bill would allow a governor to issue a state of emergency. However, only the legislature can agree to extend it and has the ability to terminate it. There's a provision for public hearings on extensions. The bill also sets limits on fines for violation of public health orders and reins in the power of some restrictions, including 'stay at home' orders....

"'Every power and order that the executive branch and the health department have been using, are legislative powers,' Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, told FOX 13. 'The legislature has allowed them to use those, so I think it’s appropriate that the legislature would have oversight.'

"Lawmakers have complained about Gov. Herbert's public health orders, including mask mandates and limits on gathering sizes. Provisions in the bill also block restrictions on religious gatherings....

"But the bill also allows counties to issue orders as they deem necessary. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson had difficulty getting Gov. Herbert to issue a mask mandate. He finally relented and allowed her to issue her own, then allowed other communities to do the same before finally issuing a statewide mask mandate that has been in place since November.

"Governor Spencer Cox's office told FOX 13 on Friday that it is working with the legislature to find a 'balance' on the bill. But some public health groups have expressed concerns about it. 'We have concerns about the ability of an elected official to override the rules and authority of a health department to make medically and scientifically based decisions in the best interest of public health,' said Maryann Martindale, the executive director of the Utah Academy of Family Physicians, in a statement.... 'We are concerned that this bill will shift the balance away from sound health-based decisions—especially during emergencies—to the whims of political influence.'

Asked if the Senate was inserting itself into public health decisions, the senate president insisted they were not. 'Those policy things I think come back to those elected officials, not those appointed," Sen. Adams said. "Surely, we need to be aware. We’d have the political consequences of ignoring recommendations, but we haven’t taken them totally away.'

"Senate Democrats were also involved in negotiations over the bill. Senate Minority Whip Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said they were in support of the bill. '"I think this bill will provide transparency and allow the public to engage and the public, I feel, haven’t been able to engage fully,' she said."

Read more: https://www.fox13now.com/news/coronavirus/local-coronavirus-news/bill-on-public-health-orders-moves-forward-in-utah-legislature

Pandemic risk from Wuhan labs warned of in 2018

China, conspiracy theories, and the murky coronavirus origin story | Columbia Journalism Review - Jon Allsop:

April 15, 2020 - "Josh Rogin, of the Washington Post, published a column [April 14] that appeared in the paper’s Global Opinions section, but contained bombshell new reporting. Per Rogin, in early 2018, officials from the US Embassy in Beijing repeatedly visited a laboratory in Wuhan where researchers were studying coronaviruses in bats, and their possible transmissibility to humans. Embassy staff were so concerned about safety issues they said they’d observed on their visits that they sent two warnings back to the State Department, urging the US government to give the lab support. In the first of the cables, which Rogin obtained, officials warned that the lab’s work on coronaviruses 'represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic'....

"Two years later, with a new SARS-like pandemic sweeping the earth, the warning cables 'have fueled discussions inside the US government about whether this or another Wuhan lab was the source of the virus,' Rogin reports. There’s no evidence that the new coronavirus was manufactured; most scientists agree that it came from animals. But as Xiao Qiang, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, told Rogin, 'that is not the same as saying it didn’t come from the lab, which spent years testing bat coronaviruses in animals.'

"Rogin’s story was shared widely on social media, including by prominent mainstream journalists..... This was not surprising: earlier this year, Tom Cotton, a hawkish Republican from Arkansas, mentioned the Wuhan lab in an interview on Fox News ... but was pilloried by major news organizations for spreading a “fringe' 'conspiracy theory' that 'was already debunked'....

"The US intelligence community reportedly believes that the Chinese government has grossly understated the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, and it’s far from alone in that assessment. According to the [New York] Times, officials in Wuhan have, in recent weeks, broken up virtual groups set up by victims’ relatives, censored photos of relatives collecting victims’ ashes, and even assigned minders to supervise burials. In the early days of the virus, Chinese authorities silenced Li Wenliang, a doctor who tried to raise an early alarm.... Journalists who tried to blow the whistle disappeared. Last month, Beijing expelled American reporters working for the Times, the Post, and the Wall Street Journal....

"Last week, China imposed tight restrictions on the publication of academic research linked to the origins of the coronavirus. As Rogin notes, its government won’t answer even basic questions on the topic, and has tried to suppress investigations into the possible involvement of the two labs in Wuhan. 'Beijing has yet to provide US experts with samples of the novel coronavirus collected from the earliest cases,' Rogin writes. A Shanghai lab that published the virus genome in January 'was quickly shut down by authorities for "rectification"'....

"The most useful response, here, is not to get sucked into the right-wing fever swamps, but to isolate legitimate questions, and try and report out the answers. As Rogin writes, the coronavirus origin story 'is not just about blame. It’s crucial to understanding how the novel coronavirus pandemic started because that informs how to prevent the next one.'"

Read more: https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/china_coronavirus_wuhan_lab_trump.php

Majority of Americans favor capitalism: poll

Capitalism crushes socialism: Fox News Poll | Fox Business - Dana Blanton:

February 13, 2019 - "Capitalism is far more popular than socialism, according to a Fox News Poll of registered voters. The poll also finds economic optimism high, and the number wanting help from the government the lowest in years.

"The new poll, released Wednesday, asks what message voters want to send to the federal government.  Over half would say 'leave me alone.'  About a third would ask Uncle Sam to 'lend me a hand.' The 34 percent saying 'lend me a hand' is down from 41 percent last year and 39 percent in 2016. The 55 percent who would tell the government 'leave me alone' is up from 51 percent in 2018 and 54 percent in 2016.

"Fifty-seven percent of voters have a positive opinion of capitalism.  That’s more than twice the number who feel the same about socialism (25 percent).  Some of the groups most likely to have a favorable view of socialism include self-identified liberals (50 percent), Clinton voters (43 percent), and those under age 30 (36 percent)....

"Nearly four out of five voters feel their family either achieved the American Dream (38 percent), or is on the way toward achieving it (40 percent).  One in five believes the dream is out of reach (18 percent)....

"By a 47-42 percent margin, voters think capitalism in the U.S. gives them a 'fair shot.' However, men (58 percent) are 21 points more likely than women (37 percent) to say capitalism is a level playing field.  Similarly, whites (52 percent) are 19 points more likely than nonwhites (33 percent), and voters ages 45 and over (54 percent) are 17 points more inclined than those under age 45 (37 percent) to feel they are getting a fair deal.

"Meanwhile, the number thinking Americans rely too much on government and not enough on themselves has dropped:  61 percent feel that way, down from 74 percent in 2013....

"The Fox News poll is based on landline and cellphone interviews with 1,004 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) (formerly named Anderson Robbins Research) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from February 10-12, 2019. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters."

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-capitalism-buries-socialism

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Some conservatives learn to love Wikileaks

How Julian Assange evolved from pariah to paragon - The Washington Post - David Weigel & Joby Warrick:

January 4, 2017 - "President-elect Donald Trump tweeted some praise on Tuesday for ... Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.... It wasn’t the first time Trump had praised WikiLeaks. During his campaign for president, Trump had gleefully highlighted emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign. By October, just the mention of WikiLeaks could start a roar of applause at Trump’s rallies.

"Since then, Trump has continued praising the radical transparency group, harshly criticized by President Barack Obama and other officials for what they describe as damaging national security leaks. He has defended its founder, who has lived in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since August 2012 to avoid extradition on a rape allegation in Sweden. And Trump has been in sync with conservative media, once critical of WikiLeaks, which increasingly embraces Assange as a hero....

"Assange’s interview with Fox News was conducted by Sean Hannity, who had evolved from a critic to a frequent booster.... Hannity presented WikiLeaks in its favored terms – as a source of true, incorruptible journalism.... Hannity, who told Assange last month that he had 'done us a favor,' said Tuesday that he believes 'every word' Assange says....

"The Fox interview won other fans: Sarah Palin, who had once compared Assange to the editor of an al-Qaida magazine, apologized on Facebook and credited him with releasing 'important information that finally opened people’s eyes to democrat (sic) candidates and operatives'....

"This treatment of Assange is a stark departure from what was, until recently, a near-universal condemnation of the Australian by conservative pundits and politicians.... The releases that started in 2010 prompted calls in conservative media for Assange’s prosecution, or worse.... Jeffrey Kuhner ... suggested that the U.S. government should have him assassinated.... A column in the conservative publication National Review Online questioned why Assange wasn’t dead already – perhaps 'garroted in his hotel.' Trump himself, in one of his then-frequent calls to Fox, called WikiLeaks 'disgraceful' and added that 'there should be like death penalty or something' for its releases.

"Assange’s most fervent praise in the United States ... came from libertarians. Then-Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who ran for president in 1988, 2008 and 2012, asked in a floor speech 'which has resulted in the greatest number of deaths: lying us into war or Wikileaks revelations or the release of the Pentagon Papers?'”

"Assange ... appeared to notice where his defenders were coming from. In a 2013 discussion, ... Assange said: 'The libertarian aspect of the Republican Party is presently the only useful political voice in the U.S. Congress'."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-julian-assange-evolved-from-pariah-to-paragon/2017/01/04/2a3ea6e6-d2b8-11e6-9cb0-54ab630851e8_story.html?utm_term=.5086f5d4f173
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Stossel got libertarians ready for prime time

Thank You, John Stossel, for Teaching Libertarians How to Do Cable News - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Matt Welch:

December 16, 2016 - "Tonight (at 10 p.m. ET) is the last-ever episode of Stossel, the weekly Fox Business Network program that for seven years explained free-market principles better than any show on television. Host John Stossel, as he explains here in his weekly column, is moving on to other pursuits, including creating great content right here with Reason TV, and he will still be a contributor over in the Fox building.

"His final episode, appropriately, is a survey through the show's persistent and often hilarious attempts to illustrate difficult-to-visualize libertarian concepts using props, costumes, stunts, and engaging conversation, including with such beloved locals as Katherine Mangu-Ward ... and Kmele Foster. I am honored to be one of the two live guests on tonight's program, along with our great friend and frequent collaborator Kennedy. And therein lies a brief story.

"I first met Kennedy in June 2011 in the exact same place you'll see us tonight: in Fox's Studio D, sitting next to John Stossel ... during an hour-long special he very generously put together to discuss The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America, which I had freshly co-written with Nick Gillespie. It was a galvanizing moment—I had been doing increasing amounts of cable news, but had never seen anyone with as much TV charisma and quick wit as this former VJ. Soon she would begin collaborating regularly with both Reason TV and Stossel, the latter of whom brought her on as a special correspondent)....

"For the rest of his run, John labored at the largely thankless and rarely acknowledged task of training questionably dressed free-market types like me to be less like Broadcast News' Albert Brooks and just a wee more William Hurt-ish. There were the green-room coachings ("Don't bore people with a bunch of numbers!"), the on-set eye-glazes when you wandered off point, the cutting quips about questionable ties. It was tough love, but, well, you have to consider the raw material here.

"The result of Stossel's conscious exertions is that the universe of camera-ready libertarians is much larger and considerably more polished than it was seven years ago. (Judge Andrew Napolitano's late, lamented Freedom Watch also deserves a shout-out here....) Next-generation shows like Kennedy get to take their libertarianism more for granted precisely because Stossel had done the shovel work (*cough*) of introducing fundamental concepts and breaking in nerds."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2016/12/16/thank-you-john-stossel-for-teaching-libe 'via Blog this'

Stossel going off air, with last episode Dec. 16

EXCLUSIVE: John Stossel to Step Down From Fox Business Show | Mediaite - Justin Baragona:

December 7, 2016 - "John Stossel will step down from hosting his weekly Fox Business program, Stossel, this month.

"The show, which airs Friday nights at 8 PM ET on FBN, debuted in December 2009. Its last episode will air on December 16th.

"While Stossel will no longer host his weekly program, he will remain as a regular on-air presence for Fox, making frequent guest appearances on various shows for both Fox News and Fox Business....

"Stossel, a noted libertarian, will be working with ReasonTV to start up a libertarian-themed internet platform. He’ll also serve as an educator with the Charles Koch Institute’s new Creative Fellows Program.

"The 69-year-old Stossel has received 19 Emmy awards over the years. He spent a number of years with ABC News, working as a correspondent and co-anchor on 20/20 before joining Fox in 2009. He’s the first cable news host to moderate a libertarian debate and during the 2016 election, he hosted numerous town hall forums for the Libertarian Party."

Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/online/exclusive-john-stossel-to-step-down-from-fox-business-show/
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Fox Business holds Libertarian town hall Aug. 26

FOX Business Network’s John Stossel to Host Libertarian Town Hall on August 26th | Business Wire (press release):

August 9, 2016 - "FOX Business Network’s (FBN) John Stossel will host a Libertarian town hall with Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson his vice presidential running mate William Weld on Friday, August 26th, the network announced today. Stossel, who moderated the first national Libertarian debate earlier this year, will host the program entitled Stossel: Libertarian Town Hall, starting at 9PM/ET.

"Throughout the town hall, Stossel will focus on the major differences between the Libertarian, Republican and Democratic platforms, as well as on economic, social and defense issues. The event will take place in front of a studio audience comprised of a cross-section of voters, who will join Stossel in posing questions to the candidates. In addition, Stossel will incorporate topics proposed through social media and from FBN reporters based in Times Square and Union Square in Manhattan interviewing passers-by....

"Host of the town hall, John Stossel anchors a weekly program on FBN that airs Friday’s at 9PM/ET titled Stossel. Each week, Stossel highlights current consumer issues with a Libertarian viewpoint....

"FBN launched in October 2007 and is available in more than 80 million homes in major markets across the United States."

Read more: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160809006147/en/FOX-Business-Network%E2%80%99s-John-Stossel-Host-Libertarian
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Part 2 of Fox's Libertarian debate airs April 8

Libertarian Debate Was Little-Noticed Breath Of Fresh Air - Lucy Steigerwald, The Federalist:

April 4, 2014 - "In an election season starring two historically loathed frontrunners, the third-most-popular party in the United States got a televised debate for the very first time.... It’s not as if even the libertarian-tolerant FBN was going to give the contenders much to work with. Friday’s debate was pre-taped, and only part one of the two-hour show (part two is on Friday!). Still, it was a debate not starring the usual suspects, right or left, and man does that look good for a change.

"The LP’s presidential choice this year will be likely be a repeat, as it should be. However, competition is libertarian, so joining [Gary] Johnson, 63, on stage were 35-year-old website founder [Austin] Petersen and 70-year-old former antivirus pioneer [John] McAfee, there to explain their positions on issues from abortion to war to Social Security and the social safety net. Even if the results of the experiment were open only to those with cable access, they were also more charming, warm, and spontaneous than anything the major parties can drum up.

"Each candidate supports caution and constitutionality in warfare. Each disavows the war on drugs and the death penalty. McAfee suggested Social Security and foreign aid were promises made, and therefore they can’t be reneged on. Johnson and Petersen argued otherwise.

"On abortion, Petersen said he was pro-life. Johnson and McAfee believe the matter is up to the woman. Petersen, who has spent some time scorning antiwar libertarians on his clickbaity website, appears to have decided on a new tactic that might be called Ron Paul lite. He comes off as a kid in his dad’s suit who just discovered French economist Frederic Bastiat — and not just because he’s the youngest, or '12 years old,' as Stossel put it. However, he delivered good lines, such as “if the American people have to balance their checkbook, so should Congress'.... Perhaps Sen. Ted Cruz supporters might find Petersen appealing, especially if they’re frustrated by Cruz’ recent soul-selling mainstream successes, or his likely loss in the race for the GOP nomination.

"McAfee is the oddest duck, a fascinating contrast between Petersen’s straining efforts at radical constitutionalism and Gary Johnson’s dispassionate moderate (for the LP) manner. McAfee’s early life included a great deal of drug use. His more recent history includes fleeing from Belize because he was a “person of interest” in his neighbor’s murder in 2012.... Maybe his gun-toting hippie with gravitas thing could leech votes away from Sen. Bernie Sanders, or his thoughtful weirdo thing could steal Trump votes.... Strangely, his stances on entitlements and foreign aid is a bit too timid for a libertarian audience, while his paranoia about cyber war and offer to unlock the San Bernardino terrorist’ phone for the FBI makes him come across as less than pure on Fourth Amendment issues.

"The choice is Gary Johnson. Even if there’s something a little uninspiring about him.... With two terms as the governor of New Mexico, Johnson lies in the sweet spot between overly Republican Bob Barr (LP nominee in 2008) and doesn’t-believe-in-drivers-licenses Michael Badnarik (2004). Johnson seems like a human being, both on television and in real life. He is a moderate anti-interventionist, and is pro marijuana, not denying the fact that he indulges in the substance, and even serving as the CEO of a medical marijuana company. His utter lack of apology for using marijuana, combined with his crazy-fit personal life (he’s climbed the seven summits!) may actually make pot users look better, as opposed to making Johnson look worse."

Read more: http://thefederalist.com/2016/04/04/the-libertarian-presidential-debate-was-a-little-noticed-breath-of-fresh-air/
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Libertarian POTUS candidates debate Apr. 1 & 8

John Stossel: Is there a better choice than Trump or Clinton? | New Hampshire Union Leader:

March 31, 2016 - "A recent poll shows that if the election were held today, 11 percent of Americans would vote for a Libertarian, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.... I assume the Libertarian total will go higher, since most poll respondents had no opinion about Johnson. They probably don’t know who he is.

"They can learn more by watching my Fox Business Network show April 1 and April 8. On those days, I’ll air a debate among the three leading Libertarian candidates. They are Johnson, software businessman John McAfee and The Libertarian Republic founder Austin Petersen. The Party will choose its nominee at the Libertarian convention in Orlando, Fla., over Memorial Day weekend....

"Libertarians want limited government, one that doesn’t mess around in your personal life or try to run the economy.

"Gary Johnson ... has a track record. The governor cut red tape and the number of government workers in New Mexico. He vetoed 750 bills and used a line-item veto to cut thousands of other items. He lowered New Mexico’s taxes and balanced the budget.... Now, as a Libertarian presidential candidate, he warns 'the idea that we can somehow balance the federal budget without cutting military spending and reforming entitlements is fantasy.”

"John McAfee calls government 'corrupt' and “technologically illiterate.' He says he’ll push a policy of 'privacy, freedom and technology'.... He wants to reduce government’s domestic role to policing disputes and otherwise let people engage in trade, including drug sales. He says our military role overseas should be reduced so that we interfere less in the affairs of other nations.

"Austin Petersen, like many libertarians, describes himself as 'fiscally conservative and socially tolerant.' He proposes a 1 percent spending reduction in all government programs and a simple flat tax, and he would let young people opt out of Social Security.... Unlike some Libertarians, Petersen says he is pro-life.

"You might be surprised to hear that there is division among Libertarians on issues like abortion. This Friday and next you can watch how these candidates handle the differences....  I’m sure the Libertarians’ answers will make more sense than those we hear from Trump and Clinton."

Read more: http://www.unionleader.com/John-Stossel-Is-there-a-better-choice-than-Trump-or-Clinton
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3 Libertarian POTUS candidates in Fox forum (videos)

What You Need To Know For The Upcoming Libertarian Party Forum | TheBlaze.com - Elias J. Atienza:

March 9, 2016 - "April 1 will be a historic day for the Libertarian Party.

"The first Libertarian Party forum will air live on national television. Three candidates were invited... Each of them brings unique attributes to the forum.

Gary Johnson
"Johnson ... was the Libertarian Party nominee in 2012, getting 1 million votes or close to 1 percent of the total vote....  As the two-term governor of New Mexico, he was able to cut taxes, strongly advocated for marijuana legalization, and vetoed countless bills. Johnson is the former CEO of Cannabis Sativa, which sells marijuana products in states where it is legal.... His positions include replacing the U.S taxation system with one tax, called a consumption tax or a Fair Tax, ending the war on drugs, and reforming the immigration system to make legal immigration easier.

John McAfee
"McAfee is the most eccentric of the three candidates. McAfee is the founder of McAfee Anti-Virus Software, though he left the company over 15 years ago.... His main issue is cybersecurity. He garnered media attention when he claimed that he could hack into the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorist.... He’s been on Apple’s side the entire time.... He’s appeared on CNBC, CNN, and has been featured heavily in Business Insider ... specifically for his defense of Apple.

Austin Petersen
"Petersen ... famous for rejecting the Non-Aggression Principle ... is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, the second-most popular libertarian news site.... He ... is pro-life. However, he doesn’t advocate for abortion to be outlawed. He also advocates for a flat tax instead of the fair tax. He also has made reaching out to disaffected conservatives and independents a major part of his campaign; a big tent party like the Democrats and Republicans.

Read more: http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/what-you-need-to-know-for-the-upcoming-libertarian-party-debate/

Nationally televised Libertarian debate April 1

Good News! Libertarian debate on TV, moderated by Stossel | Libertarian Party - Wes Benedict:

March 3, 2016 - "There will be a debate of Libertarian presidential candidates on TV this year!

"Many thanks to John Stossel and FOX Business Network for making this happen. A nationally televised debate is long overdue and we are delighted that it is finally happening...

"So please help us spread the word about the upcoming debate on FOX Business Network.

"It will be filmed on March 29 and aired on April 1.

"We'll update you on key details such as the time it airs as these details become available.

"A limited number of free tickets are available. To request them, email stosseltix@foxbusiness.com."

Read more: https://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/good-news-libertarian-debate-on-tv-moderated-by-stossel
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Stossel: What are libertarians doing wrong? | Fox News - John Stossel:

March 9, 2016 - "The Stossel TV show on the Fox Business Network will host a Libertarian presidential forum. Three leading Libertarian presidential candidates -- 'leading' because they placed top three in a poll done by the Libertarian Party -- will debate. They are former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, software entrepreneur John McAfee and Libertarian Republic founder Austin Petersen.

"The forum will air, unfortunately, on April 1. But this is no April Fools' Day joke. Our future is a stake."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/03/09/stossel-what-are-libertarians-doing-wrong.html
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Libertarian rapper Eric July has fans in Fox News

Dallas' Viral Libertarian Rapper Eric July Has Fans in Fox News and Glenn Beck | Dallas Observer - Jeff Gage:

September 15, 2015 - "Eric July's life changed forever when his friend was murdered in front of him.... One night at a club called JeRenee, someone opened fire with an AK-47 — and after the terror had ended, July's friend, 15-year-old Juanita Payne, lay dying on the ground....

"Now 25, July has long since come to see the light and taken to the pulpit for the Libertarian gospel. He posts regular web videos in which he rants about the economy, racism and police violence, many of which have gone viral. One recent video in which he accused Bernie Sanders of being an 'economic illiterate' earned him an appearance on Fox News, and Glenn Beck is such a big fan that July has been invited to speak on Beck's The Blaze on multiple occasions....

"'I've never been a guy to set out to convert people to being Libertarian,' he insists. 'I'm trying to get people thinking more critically about things, get your mind going and be able to see right through all of it.' And now, after moving back to Dallas from South Texas earlier this year, he's focused his efforts on spreading the same message through music with his rap-metal hybrid BackWordz."

His conversion to Libertarianism had everything to do with his desire to see the lives of his fellow African Americans get better. He suddenly found that he couldn't place his faith in the government, much less expect it to cure his problems or those of his community. 'As I learned more about [African American] history, I could see the connection with our oppression because the government and extensions of our government had facilitated it from day one,' he says."

Read more: http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/libertarian-rapper-and-metal-singer-eric-july-has-the-attention-of-fox-news-7588399
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The future belongs to libertarians

The End of Republicans and Democrats (And Your Libertarian Future) - The Daily Beast - Nick Gillespie:

February 20, 2014 - "The most interesting – and quite possibly the most important – discussion about the future of American politics took place just last week. And unless you subscribe to Glenn Beck’s The Blaze TV – of all places! - you probably missed it.

 "'I think Republicans will not win again in my lifetime ... unless they become a new GOP, a new Republican Party,' Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told the lachrymose former Fox News host who now runs his own online media empire. 'It has to be a transformation. Not just a little tweaking at the edges.' Not only that, says the Tea Party favorite and persistently popular 2016 presidential hopeful, the Democrats are overdue for an ideological overhaul too....

"In January, Gallup found a historically high number of Americans – 42 percent – self-identify as politically independent. The Republican brand is totally in the crapper, with just 25 percent copping to that affiliation, and the Democrats are flatter than a leaking bottle of SodaStream seltzer, pulling just 31 percent."

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/20/the-end-of-republicans-and-democrats-and-your-libertarian-future.html

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Ron Paul: Wikileaks should not be stopped

Rep. Ron Paul: Wikileaks should not be stopped | The State Column:

"Representative Ron Paul said Friday that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should not face prosecution for his distribution of nearly 250,000 classified and Top Secret documents.

"Mr. Paul came to the defense of Mr. Assange after Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department was studying whether to charge Assange with a crime for releasing thousands of leaked government documents.

"Mr. Paul told [Andrew Napolitano, on "Freedom Watch" on] Fox [Business] News that the notion of prosecuting Mr. Assange for the release of information is disturbing and it should not be pursued.

'In a free society we’re supposed to know the truth,' Mr. Paul said. 'In a society where truth becomes treason, then we’re in big trouble. And now, people who are revealing the truth are getting into trouble for it.'" (Beltway Confidential reports that Dr. Paul also tweeted that quotation.) 

Right-wing media promote private airport security

Right-wing media promote call for private security at airports | Media Matters for America - Justin Berrier, Eric Schroeck, & Melody Johnson:

November 17, 2010 - "On the November 16 edition of Fox Business' Freedom Watch, Andrew Napolitano hosted former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (R) to criticize TSA. Napolitano asked Johnson, 'Does government even keep us safe? Or would private industry -- that obviously has a strong financial interest in keeping the planes flying and keeping us safe -- do a better job than the government does, and let us choose the level of scrutiny that we want depending on the plane we ride?' Johnson replied that 'they would definitely do a more effective job ... and probably [be] a lot more safe.' Napolitano later asked Johnson, 'Would you abolish the TSA?' Johnson said that 'abolishing the TSA' is something that 'ought to be looked into.' "

Read more: https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2010/11/17/right-wing-media-promote-call-for-private-secur/173442