Hello, everybody, and thank you for tuning in to the Weekly Report.
War Abroad at Authoritarianism at Home.
War is the health of the state.
That phrase, coined by Randolph Born, explains why opposition to war is a priority of many
libertarians.
War allows governments to increase spending, taxes, and regulations in order to feed the
war machine.
Wars can justify measures that remain in place long after the war ends.
An example of this is the income tax withholding that was created to fund World War II.
The use of war as a justification for increased interference in the market is reason enough
for libertarians to oppose war.
However, war also enables the government to violate liberty.
During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, shut down newspapers, and
instituted a military draft.
The draft was also used in World Wars I and II, as well as Korea and Vietnam.
During the World War I, Congress passed the Seditions Act, outlawing criticism of
the government, widespread violation of liberty, or a hallmark of the ongoing war on terror,
An infamous example of war being used to justify violations of liberty is the internment of Japanese
Americans during World War II.
Given this history, it is not surprising that the Iran War may lead to crackdowns
on free speech.
Following criticism of the media's coverage of the Iran War by President Trump and Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth, Federal Communications Commission FCC Chairman Brandon Carr made a post
on Twitter telling broadcast networks that the FCC has the power to revoke their broadcast
licenses if they do not fulfill their responsibility to act in the public interest.
This was clearly a threat to revoke the license of any broadcast network whose coverage of the war
displeased the Trump administration, threatening to use the FCC's power to shut down broadcast
networks that the president dislikes is a blatant violation of the First Amendment
by Chairman Carr.
Chairman Carr may think that he can get a court to approve revoking a broadcaster's license for
its war coverage by claiming it is endangering national security.
This would hardly be the first time the government's used national security as an excuse to censor
its critics.
Since the U.S. is waging the Iran War in collaboration with Israel and the Trump administration
supports defining criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism, it is not out of the realm
of possibility that opposition to the war will be labeled as anti-Semitic hate speech
and be banned.
Thousands of American troops are being deployed to the Middle East with no end to the war in
sight and the U.S. military taking on the task of ensuring oil tankers have safe passage
through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military may soon need a major increase in troops.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt has refused to rule out the possibility that
President Trump may reinstate the draft.
The fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act makes implementing the draft
easier than ever before by automatically registering every 18-year-old man with the
Selective Service.
The draft assumes rights or gifts from the government that can be revoked at the whim
of government.
Violations of liberty come along with wars.
Therefore, opposition to wars unrelated to the legitimate security needs of the country
must be a priority for all who value liberty.
Thanks for listening.