A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues posted today. 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 show here:
Read a transcript of the show, 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.
Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy upset people in high places in the United States government when his and other protestors’ actions led the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to back off its raid of the Bundy family’s ranch and seizure of the family’s cattle in April of 2014. At the time, fellow Nevada resident and then-US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Bundy and fellow protestors “domestic terrorists.”
Earlier this year Bundy and other protestors were arrested and jailed on charges related to the confrontation with the BLM. Jeff German writes in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bundy’s lawyer says Bundy “is in solitary confinement 23 hours a day.” This is similar to the treatment to which whistle-blower Chelsea Manning was subjected in pre-court-martial confinement after Manning exposed information regarding US military activities — treatment Manning calls “’no touch’ torture.”
Issue two.
Eugene Monroe, a left tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, is challenging the National Football League’s (NFL) prohibition on players consuming marijuana. At his website eugenemonroe.com, Monroe urges the NFL to remove marijuana from the league’s banned substances list.
Monroe also calls for the NFL to take actions related to potential medical benefits of marijuana for players. Monroe says the NFL should fund medical marijuana research, “especially as it relates to CTE” (a brain injury linked to football). Monroe also calls on the NFL to “stop overprescribing addictive and harmful opioids.” His website argues that “Cannabinoids are a safer, less addictive alternative to opioids and can even reduce opioid dependence.”
Issue three.
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 51 percent to 36 percent win over former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Tuesday in the West Virginia primary surprised many observers, especially considering Clinton is widely viewed as having already sewn up the Democratic presidential nomination.
Likely even more surprising to many observers is that ABC reports an exit poll indicates about a third of the Democratic primary voters would vote for Republican businessman Donald Trump against Clinton or Sanders in November. Does Trump have cross-party appeal that recent Republican presidential nominees have lacked? Will everyone be talking about “Trump Democrats” come November?
Issue four.
Rob Kuznia reported Sunday at the Washington Post that prosecutors around America are charging people with murder for supplying illegal drugs involved in fatal overdoses. In the article, one prosecutor supporting this creative action of seeking to punish non-murderers for murder is David Hickton, the US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Says Hickton, “I think a person who supplies illegal drugs to a person that kills them is committing an act of violence,” and “It’s no different than a person who shoots somebody with a gun.”
What Hickton leaves out is that free people are responsible for their own choices. That includes the choice to inject heroin, drink vodka, or smoke tobacco. An important difference with heroin, however, is that prohibition and its enforcers, including Hickton, increase heroin users’ risks, including by preventing predictable potency that would enable safer use.
Issue five.
Donald Trump said Wednesday that, as president, he might appoint former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to lead a terrorism commission. As part of his response to Trump’s comment, Robert Wenzel posted at Target Liberty video of a 2007 Republican presidential debate exchange between Ron Paul Institute Chairman Ron Paul and Giuliani. The two candidates clashed regarding what motivates terrorist attacks. Giuliani rejected, and claimed that he had never before heard, the contention backed by Paul that the September 11, 2001 attacks in America were “blowback” for US government intervention overseas.
Has Giuliani learned more about terrorism in the last nine years?
A few days after the debate, Paul suggested Giuliani read several books that deal with terrorists’ motivations. Maybe Trump should ask Giuliani for a book report.
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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.
Five four three two one.
