Tonight on The Independents: David Boaz on SCOTUS, Rumsfeld Goes Ape, Polygamy vs. Gay Marriage, Veterans and Suicide, Sexy Aftershow, and Vote on Our E-Block Topic!
Because why not, The Independents on Fox Business Network tonight at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) in its fifth segment (or "E Block," as such things are known) will talk about either 1) President Barack Obama's proposed new National Security Agency regulations governing bulk data collection, or 2) the president's fretting about a nuke over New York. We will choose said topic based on how people vote in a poll on the show's Facebook page. Vote early and often!
Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., a suit over a for-profit corporation's desire to exempt itself from a contraceptive-pill mandate in Obamacare for religious reasons. Read Damon Root on the case here and here, and the Cato Institute's Ilya Shapiro here. Cato Executive Vice President David Boaz will be on to talk about the case and also the broader question of religious-liberty exceptions.
Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday told Fox News that "a trained ape" could do better than Obama in managing such foreign policy tasks as securing a status-of-forces agreement with Afghanistan. Leading to the obvious follow-up question: Is that racist against George W. Bush? Joining to discuss are Party Panelists Julie Roginsky (Democratic Party strategist) and Ellis Henican (Newsday columnist), who will also weigh in on Capitol Hill's new "Hip-hop caucus," which intends to focus attention on the links between climate change and racism. Also up for discussion: the Democratic Party's hot strategy to demonize the Koch brothers. (David Koch sits on the Reason Foundation's Board of Trustees.)
Remember the Heritage Foundation kid in the "What's the Matter With Libertarians?" episode who tussled with Kennedy over gay marriage and polygamy? Well, Ryan Anderson is back for another round over government marriage-recognition and morality. And fast-talking founder & CEO Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America will be on to discuss the problem of veterans committing suicide, and the policy of reducing the number of U.S. military troops. Then comes the aftershow, which will be live-streamed at this website. Please send your tweets out to @IndependentsFBN; some may be used on air.