Weekly Report - War Abroad and Authoritarianism at Home
Ron Paul Liberty Report's Weekly Report argues war expands state power, citing Lincoln's Civil War suspensions and WWII Japanese internment as precedents for liberty violations. The segment warns the Iran conflict could trigger similar crackdowns, noting FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's threats to revoke broadcast licenses over media criticism of President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. With thousands deployed and the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act facilitating a potential draft, the episode concludes that opposing unnecessary wars is essential for preserving freedom against authoritarian overreach. [Automatically generated summary]
Hello, everybody, and thank you for tuning in to the weekly report, War Abroad and Authoritarianism at Home.
War is the health of the state.
That phrase, coined by Randolph Bourne, 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 is end.
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 are 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 criticisms of the media's coverage of the Iran war by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Federal Communications Commission, FCC,
Chairman Brendan 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 interests.
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 use 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 Levitt 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.
Opposition to Unjust Wars00:00:18
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.