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Now Playing at Reason.tv—Jerome Tuccille on Rand, Rothbard, and the LP's big moment

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EDT

In 1972, Jerome Tuccille published It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand, his memoir of the libertarian movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Palling around with the likes of economist Murray Rothbard, former Goldwater speechwriter Karl Hess, and others, Tuccille sought to fashion a left-right coalition between elements of the New Left and and the Old Right.

It Usually Begins with Ayn Rand is at once whimsical and moving, poignant and penetrating in its insights about political movements and personal failures. Re-released last year in a new and expanded edition, it remains required reading for anyone interested in the libertarian movement—or the American political scene of the past 40 years.

Since 1972, Tuccille has kept busy writing books such as Trump; Alan Shrugged: Alan Greenspan, the World's Most Powerful Banker; and Heretic: Confessions of an Ex-Catholic Rebel. His latest volume is the new and eminently readable Gallery of Fools: The True Story of a Celebrated Manhattan Art Theft, which follows the author's unlikely and unwitting participation after-the-fact in a major New York art heist.

The always outspoken and controversial Tuccille recently sat down with reason.tv to discuss the influence and reach of Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, and Milton Friedman. And to talk about how libertarian ideas—and the Libertarian Party—may have a major impact on the 2008 presidential race.

Click below to watch.

For more background information and links, and to embed this video at your website, go here.

Now Playing at Reason.tv—producer Clay Epstein on the films the world wants to see (and is allowed to see).

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:04:00 EDT

reason.tv's Ted Balaker sits down with independent movie producer Clay Epstein of The Little Film Company to discuss the cultural, political, and aesthetic complexities of the international film market. The Little Film Company's credits include An American Haunting and the Academy Award winning film, Tsotsi.

Epstein reveals which kinds of films are most likely to get squashed by Chinese censors, which nation outdoes the U.S. in cracking down on big-screen smoking, and explains why horror films rarely get lost in translation.

Go here to embed this video on your website and for related websites and articles.

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Drew Carey on CNBC

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Drew Carey sat down with former Disney CEO Michael Eisner to discuss his career, politics, life... and Reason.tv! The interview first aired on CNBC on June 24, 2008.

Watch the video here.

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Mexicans and Machines—Drew Carey Says It's Time to Lay Off NAFTA

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Note: To embed this video on your website and for supporting materials, including links to previous videos and articles and research about medical marijuana and drug policy, go here.

Campaign season is just getting warmed up, but looking back on the primaries we’ve already seen plenty of the usual fare: candidates shaking hands, hanging out at diners, and scaring voters about foreigners who are taking your jobs.

Sometimes the threat comes from China, Japan, or outsourcing to India. Today, it’s NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement—you know, all those Mexicans taking our jobs.

Senator Barack Obama joins the likes of CNN’s Lou Dobbs in decrying NAFTA. So many free trade foes fret about cheap foreign labor, yet they rarely holler about competitors who will work for far less than any foreigner. Politicians don’t pay much attention to it, but—from Terminator to Ice Pirates—Hollywood films have been warning us about humanity’s inevitable war against the machines.

“Now, think about it,” says Reason.tv host Drew Carey. “How are we supposed to compete against something that doesn’t get paid, doesn’t get health insurance, and never goes on breaks?”

Today, we don't need human workers to book our travel, do our banking, or file our taxes. From factory workers to symphony conductors, countless workers are locked in battle with soulless job stealers known as computers, websites, and robots.

“No job is safe from the robot threat!” warns Carey. Of course, the warning is more than a little tongue-in-cheek. There’s no need to take a sledgehammer to a robot, because, although technology shakes up the labor market, it ends up giving us higher living standards as well as more and better job opportunities.

Like technology, trade gives us more good stuff than bad—yet Americans are likely to cheer technology and fear trade. No doubt TV talkers and White House wannabes will keep stoking our fears of foreigners until voters and viewers stop buying it—or until robots snag their jobs, too.

Note: To embed this video on your website and for supporting materials, including links to previous videos and articles and research about medical marijuana and drug policy, go here.

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Mexicans and Machines

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

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reason Hauls Down 11* L.A. Press Club Awards

matt.welch@reason.com (Matt Welch) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:42:00 EDT

Last night, reason won three first place awards, five seconds, and three honorable mentions at the 50th annual Southern California Journalism Awards. The winners were:

Kerry Howley, Best Magazine News/Investigative Article, for "Who Owns Your Body Parts?" Judges' comments: "This story's terrific lead drew you in with a revelation on how lucrative this business is. It fits the definition of a good expose."

Jacob Sullum, Best Magazine Feature/Commentary, for "Thank Deng Xiapoing for Little Girls." Judges' comments: "This engaging story mixes comprehensive, well-researched material with the author's personal experiences and perspective."

Nick Gillespie and staff, Best News Organization Website, for reason.com. Comments: "The true marks of a successful website are graphics and functions that pull you in, then content that doesn't easily let you go. Whenever we started to exit, something else would catch our eyes."

Second places: Radley Balko, Magazine News/Investigative, for "CSI: Mississippi." Brian Doherty, Magazine Entertainment Feature, for "Robert Heinlein at 100." Drew Carey, Multimedia Package, for "Medical Marijuana." Nick Gillespie, Online Design/Layout, for reason.com. Nick Gillespie and staff, Group Weblog, for Hit & Run.

Honorable mention (that's L.A. Press Clubese for "third place"): Amy Sturgis, Magazine Entertainment Review/Criticism/Column, for "Florida's Forgotten Rebels." Ronald Bailey, Online Column, for "The Secrets of Intangible Wealth." And Matt Welch, Magazine Feature/Commentary, for "Be Afraid of President McCain."

You can get all this terrific, award-winning journalism mailed to your doorstep 11 times a year for the ridiculously low price of $19.97. Or, if you subscribe already, you can send out a gift subscription to loved ones and antagonists alike, to blow their minds. What are you waiting for?

* Was originally "13." No wonder we did not place in "editor's math skills."

Recently at Reason.tv: Drew Carey on Medical Marijuana, Matt Welch on McCain, & Baylen Linnekin on the "Testicle Festival"!

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:15:00 EDT

Hang in there, kittens, Friday's already here. Start the weekend early by watching three recent Reason.tv offerings that will outrage you, enlighten you , and quite possbily leave you wondering why you ever got out of bed this morning:

Raiding California: Medical marijuana and minors

Discussing the Maverick: Matt Welch talks with the LA Times about John McCain

The Duckathlon vs. NYC Nanny State Food Bans

Go to reason.tv for more information on these and other offerings.

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Raiding California—Drew Carey on Medical Marijuana and Minors

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Note: To embed this video on your website and for supporting materials, including links to previous videos and articles and research about medical marijuana and drug policy, go here.

Should medical marijuana be kept from minors at all costs? Why is it that pharmacists can dispense amphetamines without getting busted, but legal operators who dispense medical marijuana face prison time? Why do armed federal agents persist in raiding California?

With its sun, surf and small town atmosphere, California's San Louis Obispo County is a good place to grow up. Seventeen-year-old Owen Beck played football and soccer for a local high school, but one day his thoughts abruptly turned away from sports and school. Doctors told Owen he had bone cancer, and would have to begin chemotherapy right away.

The young athlete suffered another blow—doctors would have to amputate his leg to try to keep the cancer from spreading. Chemotherapy attacked Owen's cancer and his body, leaving him bald, gaunt, and vomiting the food he needed to recover. The amputation introduced Owen to a bizarre, new agony called phantom pain, and although doctors gave him powerful medication, nothing helped.

But might a new kind of pharmacy offer new hope? A medical marijuana dispensary had recently opened in the nearby city of Morro Bay. More than a decade earlier, California voters legalized medical marijuana and Morro Bay's mayor and Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the dispensary, and its owner Charlie Lynch.

Owen's parents knew the idea of giving medical marijuana to a 17-year-old strikes many people as scandalous. Local Sheriff Pat Hedges even asserts that allowing medical marijuana is "not in the best interest of a community that prides itself on providing a healthy, family environment."

But the Becks weren't concerned about what other people thought; they were focused on helping their son. So with a written doctor recommendation in hand, they purchased medical marijuana for their teenage son. The new medication eased Owen's pain and nausea like nothing else had, and the Becks grew fond of Charlie Lynch, who would sometimes refuse payment because, says Steve Beck, "He was just a compassionate kind of a guy."

But one day, Owen's life took another abrupt turn. Federal agents and local sheriff deputies raided Charlie Lynch's dispensary, and seized nearly everything inside, including Owen's medicine. "He had a prescription from a doctor at Stanford, and they took his stuff!" says Debbie Beck. Federal agents cuffed Lynch, and put him behind bars. Even though state and local laws allow for it, medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law. And because he had clients like Owen who were under age 21, Charlie Lynch faces heightened penalties. In California the average first-degree murder serves 20 years behind bars; Charlie Lynch could face a sentence as long as 100 years in prison.

The trial of Charlie Lynch begins this July.

Note: To embed this video on your website and for supporting materials, including links to previous videos and articles and research about medical marijuana and drug policy, go here.

Reason Nominated for 16 L.A. Press Club Awards

matt.welch@reason.com (Matt Welch) — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:24:00 EDT

I am as pleased as Tom Harkin on an ethanol bender to announce that the 2007 staff of this here magazine and multimedia juggernaut hauled in a stunning 16 nominations from the Greater Southern California Press Club Awards (covering San Diego to Santa Barbara), with the winners to be announced June 21.

reason dominated the magazine category, earning 10 of the 20 finalist spots, including:

NEWS/INVESTIGATIVE
Who Owns Your Body Parts? Everyone's making money in the market for body tissue -- except the donors, by Kerry Howley.
CSI Mississippi: A case study in expert testimony gone horribly wrong, by Radley Balko.
The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs: How the "boot camp" industry tortures and kills kids, by Maia Szalavitz.

FEATURE/COMMENTARY
Thank Deng Xiaoping for Little Girls: The tyrannical roots of China's international adoption program, by Jacob Sullum.
Bums: Why there are no "happy hobos," by Peter Bagge.
Be Afraid of President McCain: The frightening mind of an authoritarian maverick, by Matt Welch.

ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWS/CRITICISM/COLUMN
The Politics of Pants: It was consumers, not marketers, that made jeans a symbol of youthful revolt, by Charles Paul Freund.
Say You Love Santa: Pop culture's war on secularists, by Greg Beato.
Florida's Forgotten Rebels: Rediscovering the most successful slave revolt in American history, by Amy Sturgis.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS OR FEATURE
Robert Heinlein at 100: How the science fiction master created the template for our looser, hipper, more pluralist world, by Brian Doherty.

In the Online Column/Commentary/Criticism category, there were these two:
America's No. 1 Endangered Species: Is the middle class losing "its place at the table?", by Nick Gillespie.
The Secrets of Intangible Wealth: For once the World Bank says something smart about the real causes of prosperity, by Ronald Bailey.

In addition, the blog you are reading is up for Best Group Blog, and the website it's on is nominated for Best News Organization Website and Best Design and Layout. And last but not least, let's all smell the freedom of a man who probably didn't imagine himself being nominated for journalism awards a few years back: Drew Carey is up for Best Multimedia Package:

Let the betting commence! Vote for your favorite pieces in the comments! Even better yet, subscribe to this fantabulous magazine for less than $20 a year!

Big Wheels Keep On Turning

jwalker@reason.com (Jesse Walker) — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:43:00 EDT

The Alabama State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recently held a public forum on eminent domain abuse. Here are Rev. John E. Smith and his wife Gail explaining what the authorities did to their Birmingham church:

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Mississippi Drug War Blues—The Case of Cory Maye

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 EDT

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Now Playing at Reason.tv: The New York Sun's Alternative Take on the Big Apple

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:30:00 EDT

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Kevin Bacon, Thou Art Avenged: Dance the Night Away (Finally) at Arizona's San Tan Flat!

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:58:00 EDT

When we last checked in at San Tan Flat, a family restaurant in Pinal County, Arizona, county officials had invoked an anachronistic ordinance to ban outddor dancing at the popular steak joint.

It was the subject of this Drew Carey Project video at reason.tv, dubbed Dance Ban: Footloose in Arizona:

Well, here's some great news, via The Arizona Republic:

Pinal County Superior Court Judge William O'Neil overturned a decision from the county Board of Supervisors that said the country-Western-themed restaurant was operating an illegal dance hall by allowing patrons to dance to live music on its back patio....
The saga of San Tan Flat drew national attention, prompting commentary from actor Drew Carey and conservative Washington Post columnist George Will. The case also received several comparisons to the 1984 Kevin Bacon film Footloose, in which a small town bans rock music and dancing.

More here.

At the time we released the video, one of the owners of San Tan Flat told the East Valley Tribune, "'This adds one more voice, and I think Drew Carey has a credible voice and he speaks with some degree of credibility to the public,' said Dale Bell, who owns San Tan Flat with his son, Spencer."

All of us at reason are glad to see this incredibly stupid injustice made right—and proud of our role in helping it happen.

Now Playing at Reason.tv: The Age of American Unreason; Q&A with Susan Jacoby

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:35:00 EDT

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Kerry Howley on the Very Special 300th Episode Fox News' Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:38:00 EDT

On April 29, in the wee small hours of the morning, reason Senior Editor Kerry Howley was privileged to appear on the very special 300th episode of Fox News' Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld to discuss the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama; proposed antidiscrimination laws against the obese; baseball star Roger Clemens' possible jailbait relationship with country star Mindy McCready; and much more.

And for the curious: Neither Cousin Oliver nor Ted McGinley appear in this very special episode.

Just click on the image below to make sure.

Kerry Howley on Fox News Red Eye

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:12:00 EDT

On April 19, reason Senior Editor Kerry Howley appeared on Fox News Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld to discuss global warming, the drug war, and much more. Click on the image below to watch the show.

The Singing Revolution in Washington, D.C., April 18-24

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:13:00 EDT

An excellent documentary about the Estonian revolt against Soviet domination, The Singing Revolution, is coming to Washington, D.C. The movie, lauded by The New York Times and others will be playing at the Landmark's E Street Cinema starting this Friday.

For more background on The Singing Revolution (including clips, a Q&A presided over by reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch, and a great presentation by libertarian former Prime Minister Mart Laar from the conference Reason in Amsterdam), check out reason.tv's interview and more with co-director Jim Tusty. Click on the image below to view.

Boo on That Mortgage Bailout!

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:13:00 EDT

Over at Rough Cut, the video blog of reason.tv, check out Mike Flynn saying to mortgage bailouts on CNBC's Task Force. Flynn is director of government affairs at Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes the print and online editions of reason.

Click on the image below to hear a rollicking good argument against government intervention in the economy—for strapped homeowners and investment banks alot.

Attn, DC Reasonoids: Happy Hour at The Fab Lounge, Wednesday, March 26, 6.30PM

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:10:00 EDT

On Wednesday, March 26, please join reason's Radley Balko, Nick Gillespie, Dan Hayes, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Michael C. Moynihan, Jesse Walker, David Weigel and Matt Welch and more for a happy hour at The Fab Lounge, beginning at 6.30PM. Things we'll be celebrating:

* The publication of our April issue, featuring Contributing Editor Peter Bagge's "Scenes From the Never-Ending Campaign Trail," Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey's eulogy for the "Fourth Great Awakening" in U.S. politics, Senior Editor Jacob Sullum's analysis of how drugs become demonized, Senior Editor Kerry Howley's appreciation for the emancipatory powers of the American hotel, and much, much more.

* The appearance of special guest star William Beaman, editor of Politics magazine (formerly Campaigns & Elections), which recently received a nice and well-deserved write-up in the Washington Post, and whose cover story this month is a Nick Gillespie/Matt Welch joint about "Long Tail politics" and how the political parties and candidates that succeed in the 21^st century will be the ones that speak to the burgeoning libertarian vote.

* The advent of spring, with its attendant flowers and sunshiney days.

So come on out on Wednesday -- note that The Fab Lounge is upstairs, and not the venue at street level -- and see if The Washington Post's recent description of reason's happy hours as "every Libertarian-as-Bacchus fantasy you've entertained" is as truthful as a Malcolm Gladwell speech.

reason happy hour
Wednesday, March 26
The Fab Lounge
1805 Connecticut Ave., NW 2^nd floor
Washington, DC (just a couple blocks north of Dupont Circle, on the southwest corner of Connecticut and Florida)
6.30PM-whenever the fun stops

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Drew Carey on Human Organ Markets

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:00:00 EDT

In his most controversial segment yet, reason.tv host Drew Carey offers a startling solution to the critical shortage in kidneys available for transplant: Pay people to donate their kidneys.

Featuring former reason editor—and organ donor—Virginia Postrel.

Click on the image below to watch "Organ Transplants: Kidneys for Sale."

Now Playing at Reason.tv: Rep. Jeff Flake on U.S.-Cuba Policy

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EDT

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Now Playing at Reason.tv: Twilight at Monticello

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST

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Now Playing at Reason.tv: Gillespie and Buchanan on MSNBC's Tucker

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:02:00 EST

On Thursday, February 21, reason.tv's Nick Gillespie appeared on Tucker Carlson's MSNBC show with Pat Buchanan to discuss the breaking John McCain lobbyist-scandal story, Hillary Clinton's waning presidential hopes, and much more.

The fun begins around the 10-minute mark. Click on the image below.

Gillespie on Red Eye

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:04:00 EST

reason.tv's Nick Gillespie appeared on Fox News' Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld on February 21. His fellow panelists included Dan Bova of Stuff magazine; Catt Sadler of the E! 'Daily Ten'; and Anna Gilligan of FOXBusiness.com's Fast Track. Among the topics covered: the Gene Simmons sex tape, Hillary Clinton's collapse, and plastic surgery run amok.

Click on the image below to watch the show over at reason.tv's Rough Cut blog:

Now Playing at Reason.tv: The Reason Roundtable

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:36:00 EST

Earlier today, D.C.-based reason staffers gathered to talk about their upcoming and ongoing projects, and to discuss the stories of the day.

reason.tv Editor Nick Gillespie moderated the 30-minute freewheeling chat, which included reason mag Editor in Chief Matt Welch, Senior Editors Radley Balko and Kerry Howley, and Associate Editors Michael C. Moynihan and David Weigel.

The conference was videotaped by reason.tv's Dan Hayes and Roger M. Richards.

Click below on the image to watch.