Kibbe On Liberty

Seventy two hours into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Matt Kibbe checks in with Nataliya Melnyk, Director of Bendukidze Free Market Center based in Kyiv. Nataliya has been in the city since the war began, and she offers a unique boots-on-the-ground perspective of the conflict that now puts her directly in peril. Amid warning sirens heard from her apartment, she discusses the history of Ukraine’s relationship with Russia, what Vladimir Putin is really after, and why the citizens of Ukraine have taken up arms to defend their home from Russian troops.

When Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that restaurants in the District of Columbia would be required to turn away some customers based on their medical history, Eric Flannery told his customers that he would never discriminate against them. As a result, the city revoked his liquor license and ultimately shut down his restaurant entirely. Matt Kibbe sits down with Eric to find out why he was willing to stick his neck out to resist this authoritarian policy. They are also joined by Robert Alt, president and CEO of the Buckeye Institute, who is representing Eric in his case against the city, which has been using emergency powers for nearly two years in defiance of the long-standing legal principle of public accommodation.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Hannah Cox and Brad Polumbo to talk about “Based Politics,” their new venture into libertarian-leaning commentary on the absurdity of woke culture and big government hijinks. They discuss how the political Left has turned its back on formerly liberal principles like free speech and the freedom to protest the government, while pointing out that in most cases, the solution to societal problems can be found in markets and in decentralization rather than in the kind of top-down, bureaucratic planning typically favored by politicians and experts on both sides of the aisle.

In this special bonus episode of Kibbe on Liberty, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) explains to Matt Kibbe why it would be a mistake for the United States to get involved in the mounting conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Too often, our elected officials are eager to start wars on the other side of the globe to distract from problems here at home, without considering the cost in American blood and treasure. While there are seldom good reasons for butting into squabbles among other countries which we know little about, there are plenty of excellent ones to avoid these entanglements, not the least of which is our abysmal track record at competently managing our overseas involvements.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to review some of the predictions the congressman made about the harmful effects of lockdowns at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Massie has checked the receipts and discovered that many things that were dismissed—or outright censored—as dangerous misinformation when he first said them have now become accepted scientific fact, proving the importance of allowing these conversations to play out without dictating what constitutes an indisputable truth.

What motivates a person to want to silence all competing voices? Matt Kibbe is joined by attorney and author Robert Corn-Revere to discuss this question and others. Corn-Revere’s new book, “The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder,” elegantly makes the case for free expression while demonstrating that, throughout history, the censors have never been the good guys. Free the People executive producer Matt Battaglia also joins to discuss censorship’s impact on the medium of comics. At a time when free speech is under attack from all sides, it’s more important than ever to remind the world that censorship invariably makes society worse, not better. The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1107570379/

Matt Kibbe is joined by Jenin Younes, litigation counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, to discuss the imminent Supreme Court decision on whether OSHA can legally mandate that workers take the COVID-19 vaccine. From a constitutional standpoint, the answer seems obvious, but unfortunately the Court has shown that it is not immune to the propaganda perpetuated by government agencies and the media operating on their behalf. As it becomes more and more difficult to obtain unbiased health care information and the public loses trust in the medical establishment, proposals such as the mandatory vaccination of children become increasingly troubling. But will the Court agree?

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.