GameStop Short Squeeze, Ontario Barbershop, & Scottish Secession (28m) – Episode 458

Episode 458 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: the short squeeze that happened to, at least, GameStop stock, costing one hedge fund $13.1B in losses (see Wikipedia); from CTVNews.com, “Ontario barbershop reopens despite provincial lockdown using loophole”; and from Reuters.com, “Scottish nationalists lay groundwork for second independence referendum”.

MLK, Jr.’s Libertarian Movement, Labor Day, Spanking, & the Social Contract (28m) – Episode 455

Episode 455 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: why Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fight for civil rights was a libertarian movement; where wages came from and why they have been a blessing for humanity; why spanking is unintelligent, lazy, selfish, and unnecessary; and the central problem in social contract theory and a more accurate way to formulate it (as a peace treaty in a threat game).

Section 230, Amazon and Parler, Caveat Emptor, Contracts, & Alternatives (41m) – Episode 454

Episode 454 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and what is and is not libertarian about it; Amazon Web Services cancelling their contract with social media platform Parler without the contractually specified notice of 30 days; what should happen to contracts in the future; examining our dependencies and building alternatives; and more.

Apartheid Israel, Facebook Italy Fine, Seizing Sammiches, & Pakistan Blasphemy Executions (32m) – Episode 453

Episode 453 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: from APNews.com, “Leading human rights group calls Israel an ‘apartheid’ state”; from TheRegister.com, “Facebook appeals ruling that it stole tech. So, Italian judge issues new judgment: Pay 10 times the original fine”; from TheGuardian.com, “Dutch officials seize ham sandwiches of drivers arriving from UK”; and from AlJazeera.com, “Pakistan court sentences three to death for blasphemy”.

Building Alternative Institutions, Enforcing the NAP, Taxation, & Simple Libertarianism (26m) – Episode 452

Episode 452 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following questions from Quora: he starts the episode with a complaint against Quora for banning it’s most prolific author, Dennis Pratt; “How do Libertarians intend to implement/enforce the NAP?”; “Libertarians, what do you make of the argument that taxation isn’t theft because you are able to choose your representatives, so either choose ones that disagree with taxation as well or start your own political party?”; and “What is a simple explanation of libertarianism?”

Avian Flu, Elected Transgender Women, Macron on Brexit, Pedophile Castration, & Pope Francis (30m) – Episode 447

Episode 447 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: from IndianExpress.com, “Avian flu confirmed: 1,800 migratory birds found dead in Himachal”; from PinkNews.co.uk, “Two trans women win election in historic moment for LGBT+ visibility in India” (Wikipedia.org, “LGBT themes in Hindu mythology”); from reddit.com, “Brexit a product of ‘lies and false promises’, Macron says in New Year’s message”; from JakartaGlobe.id, “Child Predators to be Chemically Castrated Under New Regulation”; and from TheGuardian.com, “Pope condemns travelling abroad to escape coronavirus lockdowns” (YouTube / Ivor Cummins, “Crucial Viral Update Jan 4th – Europe and USA – Covers it ALL”).