Freedom Fighters

" Earlier this week I spoke to a few hundred cadets at West Point and I conducted a seminar for the philosophy faculty there as well. I was happily stunned. And utterly thrilled. At the open endorsement of our libertarian ideas. As well as the personal admiration for the movement and specifically. For the courage of persons like congressman Ron Paul. And the work of libertarian institutes like nieces and -- that I heard from many of the cadets and many of the full time military faculty as well. Here to talk about all this and the popularity of freedom amongst young people. Is David -- executive vice president of the Cato institute and author of the politics of freedom. Taking on the left the right and threats to our liberties David joins me now David it's a pleasure welcome back to freedom watch. -- judge good to be here thank you so there was of the United States Military Academy. Talking to future military officer is. And they started asking me questions in the Q and a period. About high tech and -- says. And Milton Friedman. And and brand and weird -- liberties come from and what do I do it from given an order that I believe is against the constitution. And I'm a bit blown away to hear this coming from -- that some as high as a kite as I'm driving home. And I'm thinking of myself I gotta talk to David those about this what's got it which have been surprised at at West Point to hear this."

" Which I have been surprised to hear that a few years ago because we don't generally think the military has. A place where libertarian is -- would be a common idea but the last few years have noticed more evidence of that. A few years ago I went to a lecture I just happen to be in Charleston, South Carolina. And I went to a lecture that Sandra Day O'Connor gave to the Citadel. And once she finished all the students got up and and -- might have been just say yes selection bias. But all the questions were pretty libertarian they were about gun rights they were about the rights of the accused I was very impressed. And there and I'm sure you've talked about on this show last year. More military people gave contributions to Ron -- into any other presidential candidate. Now it wasn't very many and I can't discount that comes really the total number which pretty small. But I've also been told by people who know the military. That among the junior and younger officer Cold War which is you know the people you were talking to who are gonna become the younger officers. That there's a lot of libertarian sentiment they take an oath to defend the constitution. Against all enemies foreign and domestic. They sort of generally believe in free enterprise and free markets. And they're not really social conservatives they deal with a lot of diversity in the military they're not old fashioned conservative. So. I think what you have is a fair number of people who as you say have actually read -- can be system on brand. And a larger number of people who believe in the constitution. Who believe in the American system of free enterprise and who were not social conservatives."

" I think you're right and I'm happy that I was unhappy that I was happy and maybe I should have known mortar expect gonna and I wouldn't have been. Surprise but they in the course that I did it was an election or was this a chronic. Method and a class of a couple of hundred cadets in -- philosophy class and we went back and forth about. Where our freedoms come from to a person I think I've managed to interrogate. Just about everybody in the room they understood the concept of natural rights. They understood the concept of inalienable rights they understood the battle in Philadelphia in 1787. The ideological battle. Between those who believe our rights come from humanity and those who believed. Our rights come from the government and to a person if the answer me honestly I have to believe they did give them benefit of the doubt. They accepted that our rights come from our humanity and that they cannot be taken away by the president signing a proclamation. Or the congress enacting a statute."

" Well I'd sounds like maybe they had a good philosophy professor or maybe they had a good history professor and in fact. At that -- university our summer seminar we opened have a lecturer who is a history professor at West Point rob MacDonald who talks about. Thomas Jefferson and the ideas of the founding and makes them. Engaging and entertaining and informative. So it may be his influence that they have learned these things. But what you found was it work that they were that they had gotten these ideas they understood them. And it's good to know that among people who were gonna be leaders first in the military and then. Military people usually go -- to be leaders in various walks of life that these people do understand these ideas I think that's a good thing. You raise the interest in question they take an oath of office to the constitution. And to follow lawful orders -- and I'm sure the question of can there be a conflict between those concept is something they talk about it military --"

" We are chatting with David -- executive vice president of the Cato Institute. One of the things that they asked me about that they tried to pin me down on is when is it lawful. To disobey an unlawful order now. These are young men and women. In their late teens 181920. And 21. They will all serve full time in the military. Most of them will see battle all of them will be on active duty for a minimum of 68 years depending upon which program. They've chosen at West Point. And their principal concerns war. What is a just war. And when must I disobey an order that I think is unlawful just the fact that they were thinking about that. To analyze myself course we went through the basic just war principles. And I asked them. Is the president military activity just under these principles and of course there were reluctant to express themselves on that point. But I can tell you about it afterwards when we had some non alcoholic cocktails in the hallway of a building called Jefferson all. Most of them said. But the activities in the Middle East but the united states military did not meet the just war criteria does that surprise you David --"

" Well but does sort of surprised me and one reason is after all these are kids who enrolled in the military academy after we entered Iraq long after we entered Afghanistan and so they need to. What they were getting we've got some veterans here at Cato. Many of well about being there weren't many but let's say a couple of -- enrolled in the military after 9/11. Because they thought we were gonna confront al-Qaeda and the talent bond and go into Afghanistan and they thought that was a justifiable. Response to the attack. At least one of them then got sent to Iraq which was something he had not planned down. But these kids who were 181920. Years old now they knew that Iraq was part of the deal and so to enroll in the military at this point. And then discover you think this is not immoral war. That would create a a definite the Lambeau for people like that now they may be hoping by the time they get out of of West Point that we will be done in Iraq I certainly hope by the time they get out will be done. And that hopefully Iraq will have chastened dust and we won't get into any more stupid and unfounded wars."

" EU and I remember Barry Goldwater we remember the conscience of a conservative. We remember the last person that ran for president saying he was gonna shrink camp the government and if you wanted that done vote for him and if you didn't. Vote for the other guy. Why is libertarians and so popular amongst young people today. Who came of age long after the Goldwater. And even Reagan years had passed."

" Well I think people are seeing a bigger government failing in all sorts of ways and that's one of the things there was a surge of interest in libertarian is him in the 1970s. I think in response to basically Vietnam and stagflation. And the cultural revolution of the 1960s. That. Opened up society for a lot of people. These days the cultural revolution has continued society is more open to more people. The whole economic and commercial and social mainstream American life is open to blacks and women and gay people and immigrants in a way that he didn't use today. But government in many areas is getting bigger and bigger it did throughout the bush years and it's obviously accelerating in some ways. In the Obama years and therefore you have a lot of people getting interested in these ideas 'cause they wanna know. What is the alternative to what's going on and that's why you're seeing sales at -- was -- soaring that's why you're seeing sales of the road to serfdom soaring. You know their to a new biographies of -- brand being published this month and they're getting reviewed lots of places. And I suspect they will sell well and they will generate more interest in her own books so. People are responding and when they -- government expanding they want to know what is the alternative. To big government and and that's how they find libertarian ideas."

" switching gears a little bit in the past week. The president of the United States sent his principal advisers. To the most watched television. Programs in America which -- of that Sunday morning. Interview shows and they said to a person. Fox News is not -- news organization. It's an advocacy organization and so we don't have to treat it as one. The president and the United States last night said while I'm not really concerned about this battle over. Between the white house on Fox News I don't lose much sleep over it and congressman grace in the Florida. Who by the way is not -- on economic issues but on this issue seems to be a two bit political hack said fox is the enemy. Not fox is an advocacy organization fox is the enemy of the American people. Question David should those of us who work here or those of us who work in the media or those of us in the business of trying to. Again ideas out there be concerned that the government might want to. Interfere. With the expression of free ideas with which the government disagrees."

" Well right now I think what you're having is a debate the president is announcing Fox News and fox has plenty of opportunities. To shoot back on that -- some other media and Jake Tapper from ABC yes very good questions. The white house Press Secretary how can you say this is not a legitimate news organization. I am not worried at this point that they're going to crack down on Fox News but we have to remember they're trying to impose new government regulations on the Internet right now. They have talked about bringing back the Fairness Doctrine and and base they openly say the reason for that is they don't like the domination of conservative talk radio. They control the major networks they have the universities on their side they have the major newspapers on their side. But conservative talk radio drives them up a wall so they want a new. A government regulations to control back. I think fox will be able to hold its own right here and if I may say for the past eight years Fox News in too much cheerleading for the Bush Administration so I can understand why some people think. That fox has been into partisan. But look MSNBC is partisan the Washington Post is just endorsed every Democrat running for office in Virginia that's okay -- a newspaper that's their opinion."

" Earlier this week the president unleashed Ken Feinberg. A lawyer who works in the Justice Department with a wacky title or at least in the media we call on this but hey czar. Who came out with a list of regulations that he wrote on his own. Limiting the compensation. Of executives from corporations. That -- TARP funds. I did the research and I -- to wear his power came from -- it came from one of the stimulus sacks in the early part of the Obama administration in February of 2009. And then I thought to myself TARP funds. That money was launched in September and October of 2008. You mean the government rewrote the law retro actively. To let it control compensation. To banks to receive TARP funds after they had received the money. Answer yes how fair or an affair is stacked."

" There's been a lot of -- complaints about sellers in the Obama White House. And a lot of that I just brush off I mean they're really White House advisers and many power the president doesn't have. This czar does have power congress gave him power and specified. That he makes these decisions on his own. And they cannot be appealed. They can't be appealed to the president. Or to the congress or to the courts it is only renewable power now we'll find out if the courts think this powers on review -- congress can make power. On renewable and un appealable. But it is really scary prospect I'll tell you though one of the things it should scare people into doing is not taking government money. Because this is percent of the firms that took billions of dollars in government money. And I still don't want -- under review -- anonymous on appealable -- are working out of the White House making decisions for these companies but walked the next time the government comes offering ten billion dollars to a company that's in trouble I hope the company executives will say. Wait a minute. Maybe we don't want Obama with the power to fire our CEO and maybe we don't want some anonymous bureaucrat in the white house with the power. To slash our car our CEO's pay and all the rest of our our paychecks so this is a warning that when you get in bed with the government. You get up with more than headache."

" Did those thanks very much for joining us on freedom watch. Thank you -- You can catch today show on foxnews.com. Slash freedom watch. And I'm serious 145 XM 168. Or online at Fox News talk dot com. At 6 PM eastern on Saturdays from New York. Defending freedom. Until the next time -- for America."