Kibbe on Liberty

Matt Kibbe sits down with Blockchain technologist Cody Marx Bailey to discuss the implications of decentralized Blockchain technology to create a freer, more liberated future. Since no one owns or controls the Blockchain, no one can shut it down. At a time when governments are shutting down individuals’ bank accounts and censoring information on the internet, the potential for a solution that is entirely immune to political power would be a true game-changer.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Phil Magness, senior research faculty at the American Institute for Economic Research, to discuss the rapidly changing narratives on COVID-19. Since the release of the Great Barrington Declaration and all the criticism leveled at it, many of the predictions made two years ago have proved correct. The attempts to suppress misinformation now look incredibly foolish, given that the “misinformation” turned out to be right, and the official narrative turned out to be wrong.

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.