Kibbe On Liberty

Matt Kibbe is joined by Logan Albright, head writer for Free the People and author of “Conform or Be Cast Out: The (Literal) Demonization of Nonconformists.” Together they discuss the ways in which the ruling elites have attempted to enforce conformity on the population using stigma, shaming, and often physical violence. Although the book was written before the outbreak of COVID-19, the cost of being a nonconformist has suddenly become very real to the millions of people threatened with losing their jobs or their access to the basic functions of society. And although a certain amount of conformity is sometimes necessary to maintain harmony, it is ultimately those who dare to be different who move the world forward toward new frontiers.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Brian McWilliams, co-founder of Lions of Liberty, and Calum Nicholson, visiting fellow at the Danube Institute, to discuss the failures of the technocratic state in managing public health during a pandemic, spreading democracy abroad, and just about everything else. While it’s difficult to find a silver lining in the last two years of chaos, one bright spot may be the revelation to many people that those who wish to design society from the top down really have no idea what they are talking about. The people who hold the levers of power imagine that they know enough to understand, and therefore effectively control, the lives of millions of people, but we now have enough empirical evidence to see very clearly that that is simply not the case.

Matt Kibbe is joined by a tired and slightly hungover Free the People staff under the lights of six Christmas trees to discuss some of the projects that have been keeping them going all year, as well as a look ahead at 2022. These include the award-winning “All We Have,” the story of a family struggling to keep their family business under a constantly changing regime of COVID regulations; a series warning people about how far government emergency powers can really go; and a forthcoming documentary about families who have decided to leave the government school system due to intolerable pandemic policies.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Robert Alt, president and CEO of the Buckeye Institute, to discuss whether there are any effective legal mechanisms to limit government power when both federal and state officials are dedicated to expanding it as much as possible under the rubric of “emergency measures.” Alt points to historical examples of temporary programs that became permanent, how the courts can stop certain unconstitutional programs, and the terrible legal precedents that led us to where we are today.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to discuss the bloated end-of-year budget that always keeps Congress in town right up until Christmas. This year, it’s particularly grim, as the bill contains funding to implement the Biden administration’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate. While many Republicans are hoping the courts will strike down the mandate, this creates a dangerous precedent in which Congress abdicates its responsibility to the voters, ceding that power to unelected judges. While there’s a good chance that the vaccine mandate will not be allowed to stand, it doesn’t excuse the legislative branch from properly fulfilling its role to rein in the executive power of the president.

Matt Kibbe sits down with economist Peter C. Earle to discuss all the policy failures that have led to the Christmas season looking less merry, and more expensive, than it should. From runaway inflation to shipping delays and drops in employment, the Biden administration has shown no signs of understanding the first thing about economics — and is more concerned with virtue signaling than with actually solving the problems facing Americans this December.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Matt Ridley, author of “Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19,” to discuss the constantly shifting media narrative surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, including the once taboo “lab-leak hypothesis.” Ridley runs down the evidence for the hypothesis, including why the original story about Chinese wet markets makes no sense, and addresses the controversy about gain-of-function research. He also lays out the costs — in terms of reputation, harassment, and bullying — that he and his co-author have paid for being willing to contradict the scientific and medical establishment on this issue.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Corey Olsen, president of Signum University, to talk about the ways in which higher education has failed to serve students and adapt to a changing economic and technological environment. Signum was one of the first fully online universities, a model that has proved to be ahead of its time in the aftermath of the pandemic. Online education not only solves the problem of physical distance, but also addresses tuition inflation and the resulting student debt crisis. The ability to innovate around traditional universities is far more productive than policies that simply enable a corrupt and outmoded system. Dr. Olsen is also well known online as the Tolkien Professor, leading Kibbe to probe him about the economics of the Shire.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Antonella Marty, associate director of PR and influencer relations at Atlas Network, to talk about Latin America’s struggles with socialism, nationalism, and organized crime. It’s a frustrating and tragic situation because we know that free markets and light regulation will lead to less poverty and more opportunity, but the governments of countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Argentina keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Meanwhile, politicians and intellectuals in America continue to admire dictators like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, to the point of even wanting to bring their ideas to our own shores.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Jon Miltimore, managing editor at the Foundation for Economic Education, to talk about the reason why America’s supply chain has broken down and what can be done to fix it. By locking down the economy for over a year, the government artificially changed consumer habits while preventing workers from stepping up to meet the excess demand. Now, out of ideas, the Biden administration is simply pumping money into the economy, which doesn’t solve the problem, but does create inflation that is bad for everyone.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Maria C. Werlau, executive director at the Free Society Project, to discuss the popular mythologies surrounding Cuba and its record on human rights. Although American leftists like Michael Moore and Bernie Sanders praise the Cuban system in everything from health care to education, the reality on the ground is much different from what they are allowed to see as tourists and guests of the Cuban government. Rich capitalists from overseas are indeed treated well, but the two-tiered system that rewards political connections is brutal for ordinary Cuban citizens.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to talk about the ways in which public health officials like Anthony Fauci have misled the American people by refusing to consider natural immunity and alternative COVID treatments, instead focusing entirely on vaccine and mask mandates. Rand is dismayed at all the support these policies have gained from pseudo-libertarians and urges people to take control of their medical care by learning to outsmart the hospital bureaucracy to get the treatment they need. When our leaders prove themselves to be untrustworthy, it is incumbent upon each of us to assume responsibility for keeping ourselves and our loved ones healthy.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Reed Coverdale, host of the Naturalist Capitalist podcast and professional trucker, to talk about the traditional American spirit of liberty and independence and how that has gradually been replaced by desire for short-term comfort over long-term fulfillment. At the same time, we’ve become terrified of experiencing the sort of loss that has been the norm for all of human existence and that goes a long way toward shaping character and inner strength. The country has become so focused on safety and security that no one wants to have adventures any more, but it’s those adventures that make life worth living.

Matt Kibbe is joined by James Harrigan and Antony Davies, economists and hosts of the Words & Numbers podcast. They explain how an objective look at economics reveals a world that is constantly improving, from improvements in technology to increases in lifespan and reductions in extreme poverty. The Americans who complain about their country lack the necessary perspective to see how much better the quality of life is than in any other country or any other time in history. Still, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be worried about the growing threats of inflation and centralized government power, which may reverse some of the gains we’ve made.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for a conversation that will surely attract the ire of censors everywhere. Massie explains why public health officials are ignoring the evidence for natural immunity acquired through exposure to COVID-19, why we’ve been repeatedly lied to about the effectiveness of face masks, and the subtle political strategy underlying the Biden administration’s planned vaccine mandates. Is it a conspiracy? Is it a cover-up? Or is everybody in power just incompetent? Watch to find out before this show gets scrubbed from the internet.

Matt Kibbe talks to Khalid Ramizy, CEO of the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization, about the situation in Kabul during the departure of American forces. Khalid successfully managed to flee to Albania with his family, where he was able to find safety, but it took extraordinary cunning and great risk to escape the country. Khalid was also a particular target for the Taliban as the leader of a free-market think tank in Afghanistan. Those who wish to stand up for freedom in the Middle East are taking their lives into their own hands.

Matt Kibbe sits down with TheBlaze.com founder Glenn Beck to discuss his rescue activities in Afghanistan, as well as the increasingly depressing state of the world. Having seen unspeakable horrors with his own eyes, Beck now understands the magnitude of government’s cruelty and callousness towards ordinary people, even when lives are at stake. That knowledge, combined with the systematic attempts to dismantle the values and freedoms of Western civilization, makes it difficult to be an optimist at this particular time in history, although Kibbe gives it the old college try.

Matt Kibbe sits down with comedian JP Sears to talk about his evolution from a spiritual satirist to a champion of freedom. As the political landscape has shifted, JP saw his liberties legitimately threatened for the first time and was surprised to find how little the rest of his community cared. The generation that grew up with participation trophies has gotten used to never having to deal with discomfort, which leads them to expect someone else to solve all their problems. What they have to realize is that if you want to live free, it’s not always going to be safe or easy, whereas if you want to feel safe, it means giving up most of your personal autonomy.

Matt Kibbe sits down with veteran and congressman Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) to discuss Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. While Rep. Davidson has long advocated ending the war, he views it as unacceptable to leave American soldiers, civilians, and allies behind to fall into the grip of the Taliban. Davidson and a group of Republican veterans in Congress have been asking Nancy Pelosi to reconvene the House of Representative to put pressure on the Biden administration to cut through the diplomatic bureaucracy and make complete evacuation a priority.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Jo Ann Skousen, director of the Anthem Film Festival at FreedomFest in Rapid City, South Dakota. For ten years, Anthem has been a place to celebrate and encourage visual storytelling with a focus on issues of liberty and personal responsibility. Jo Ann explains how she came to find the festival, how it has grown and changed over the years, and why the ability to put together a compelling narrative, either through fiction or nonfiction, is essential to anyone who wishes to reach a broad audience of any kind.