A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues is available. You can listen to it, and read a transcript, below. You can also find previous episodes of the show at Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, and SoundCloud.
Listen to the new episode here:
Read a transcript of the new episode, including links to further information regarding the topics discussed, here:
The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity welcomes you to Five Minutes Five Issues.
Starting in five four three two one.
Hello, I am Adam Dick, a Ron Paul Institute senior fellow.
Let’s start.
Issue one.
In the February 9 episode of Five Minutes Five Issues I talked about President Donald Trump backtracking on his December announcement that all United States troops would leave Syria. Here is an update. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders issued this one sentence announcement: “A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time.” Then, the next day, a senior administration official doubled that count to approximately 400 troops and said the troops would be “observers and monitors” instead of peacekeeping troops.
Issue two.
Did you make sure to undergo your free speech background check, take a free speech course, and pay a free speech license fee before you posted a comment on the internet or engaged in a political discussion with a friend? Of course not. Free speech is a right. It does not require background checks, courses, and license fees. However, in many states, such requirements are imposed for legally exercising another right. And that right — the right to carry a gun — is, like the right to speech, recognized in the United States and states’ constitutions.
Last week, the Kentucky state Senate approved by a 29 to 8 vote legislation (SB 150) eliminating the requirement of licensing, along with background checks, courses, and fee requirements, for people to legally carry concealed firearms. If the legislation makes it successfully through the state House of Representatives and the governor’s office, Kentucky will join the increasing number of states with legal recognition of license-free concealed carry.
Issue three.
The bossy US government is at it again — telling other nations what their laws should be.
Josh Lederman wrote Tuesday at NBC News that the Trump administration “is launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of nations where it’s still illegal to be gay.” While much focus can be expected to be placed on Iran, which is a continual target of the Trump administration, don’t expect to hear much about governments the Trump administration favors. Consider, for example, Saudi Arabia where Lederman writes “homosexuality can be punishable by death, according to a 2017 worldwide report from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).”
Issue four.
Mark Sommerhauser reported Sunday at the Wisconsin State Journal that Tony Evers, the new Governor of Wisconsin, will be including legalization of medical marijuana and decriminalization of recreational marijuana in his state budget proposal. The governor’s final budget proposal is expected to be released on February 28. In a Monday press release, Governor Evers provided details about his broader marijuana laws liberalization plans.
Back in the 2002 Wisconsin governor campaign, Ed Thompson was proposing such marijuana law changes as major components of his Libertarian campaign for governor. Even then, legalizing medical marijuana had overwhelming majority support in the state. Also, as I could see working as Thompson’s campaign comanager, many people were open to much more marijuana prohibition rollbacks. But, the Republican and Democratic nominees in that race, and the Republican and Democratic governors of the succeeding 16 years would not support major marijuana law liberalizations. As a result, Wisconsin is less a leader and more a follower regarding ending the war on marijuana.
Issue five.
Here comes the 2020 presidential race with more Democrats announcing their candidacies each week and some politicians talking about running against President Donald Trump in the Republican primary. Before you become too drawn in, consider this Tuesday comment from Ron Paul Institute Advisory Board member and Fox New Senior Judicial Analyst Andrew Napolitano at the Fox News website:
We have one party — the big government party. It has a Republican wing that likes war, deficits and corporate welfare and a Democratic wing that likes war, taxes and individual welfare. Neither wing abides by the Constitution, and both write laws that doom third parties to failure, and ensure they stay in power.
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That’s a wrap.
Transcripts of Five Minutes Five Issues episodes, including links to related information, are at the Ron Paul Institute blog.
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