Storms and Reforms

Plus: The editors unpack a philosophical question from a listener concerning foreign policy.

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Storms and Reforms

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Katherine Mangu-Ward, Matt Welch, and Peter Suderman and special guest C.J. Ciaramella talk about the aftermath of Hurricane Ian and the current political discourse surrounding criminal justice reform.

2:05: Hurricane Ian's aftermath

21:38: The Jones Act is still terrible.

25:37: Weekly Listener Question:

Dearly beloved Roundtable,

When considering foreign policy issues, shouldn't libertarians worry not only about acts of commission but also acts of omission? It seems that libertarians are reflexively worried about acts of commission but seldom focus on the consequences that derive from lack of action (i.e., acts of omission). Isn't it at least possible that failure to act can lead to a less-libertarian preferred outcome? If so, how should one balance action vs. inaction?

36:20: The current discourse on criminal justice reform

47:54: This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"A Reason Reading List on Hurricane-Related Public Policy," by Matt Welch

"UnFAIR," by Matt Welch

"In the Aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, the Jones Act Is Screwing Over Puerto Rico Again," by Scott Shackford

"Natural Disasters and the Case for Big Government," by John Stossel

"Let's Scrap the Jones Act," by Andrew Heaton

"Should Libertarians Root for the Abolition of Police and Prisons?" by C.J. Ciaramella

"Bill Introduced To Bring Independent Oversight to Federal Prison System," by C.J. Ciaramella

"Netflix's Athena Is a Masterpiece About Police Violence and Social Unrest," by Peter Suderman

Send your questions to [e-mail]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsors:

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Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

What are we consuming this week?

Katherine Mangu-Ward

• Clueless

C.J. Ciaramella

• Cascatelli Pasta
• Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.

Peter Suderman

• Athena

Matt Welch

• Northwest Coast Hall, American Museum of Natural History

---

Comments

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

WTF is an act of omission in foreign relations -- ditching embassies, ambassadors, and treaties? Not passing out enough Green reparations? How else can you omit foreign relations?

Any zombie in these comments could come up with better questions than these.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

Here's a better listener question:

What advantage does Reason get from headquartering in an expensive political shithole like Washington, DC? You don't harangue politicians at Congressional hearings or ask Presidents embarrassing questions, so what good do you get from being in DC? Why should I donate when you choose one of the most expensive cities for your offices?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

This is a good question. Embrace technology, Reason, you can learn to code anywhere. Put your headquarters in San Antonio, or Tampa, or Albuquerque, or Tucson, or Raleigh... the idea that you need to be in the Seat of Power as a media organization has no bearing on your ability to do the kind of reporting you do. As Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf states, you're not getting one-on-one sit-downs with Senators and Congress-critters, everything can be done by zoom anyway, so throw your HQ in Nashville.

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[Agammamon]

Move it to LA.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

COCKTAIL PARTIES!

[SQRLSY One]

"Any zombie in these comments could come up with better questions than these."

And HOW does Der TrumpfenFuhrer LOVE us all?!? Let us count the ways!!!

[DesigNate]

You’re an idiot.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Unfair. To idiots.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

In the broadest sense, an act of omission could be not defying or pushing back against a global antagonist which results in a "less libertarian outcome" such as your ability to trade freely being disrupted or limited by... for instance, a "mercantilist buccaneer on the world stage"...

[R Mac]

Dumbest listener question ever. Wonder why they picked it?

[Gaear Grimsrud]

So it turns out destroying gas lines is a good thing!
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/blinken-calls-sabotage-attacks-nord-stream-pipelines-tremendous-opportunity
Blinken Calls Sabotage Attacks On Nord Stream Pipelines A "Tremendous Opportunity"

[Gaear Grimsrud]

I guess that would explain this.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/former-pentagon-advisor-says-us-likely-attacked-nord-stream-pipelines-isolate-germany
Retired US Army colonel Douglas Macgregor made the comments during an appearance on the Judging Freedom podcast.
Macgregor said a process of elimination rules out Germany, because they are dependent on Nord Stream for their energy security, while it also served no benefit for Russia to have sabotaged its own infrastructure.
“Would the Russians destroy their own pipeline? 40 percent of Russian gross national product or gross domestic product consists of foreign currency that comes into the country to purchase natural gas, oil, coal and so forth. So the Russians did not do this. The notion that they did I think is absurd,” Macgregor said.
Referring to Polish MEP Radoslaw Sikorski’s infamous deleted tweet in which he wrote, “Thank you, USA,” Macgregor noted, “Who else might be involved? Well the Poles apparently seem to be very enthusiastic about it.”
However, citing reports that more than 500 kg of TNT had been detected in both explosions, the former Pentagon advisor suggested only the United States and British Royal Navy had the capability to pull off the attack.
“Then you have to look at who are the state actors that have the capability to do this. And that means the Royal Navy, the United States Navy Special Operations,” said Macgregor.
“I think that’s pretty clear. We know that thousands of pounds of TNT were used because these pipelines are enormously robust. You have several inches of concrete around various metal alloys to move the natural gas. So it’s not something that you could simply drop a grenade down at the end of a fish line and disrupt. That means it takes a certain amount of sophistication,” he added.
Macgregor suggested that the motive behind the attacks was to prevent Germany from bailing on the Ukraine war after Berlin began “to give the impression that they were no longer going to go along with this proxy war in Ukraine.”
“I’m hesitant to say ‘we know it must have been Washington’. I can’t say that because we just don’t know. But it’s very clear that we have foreclosed Berlin’s options. Berlin was drifting away from this alliance. [Chancellor] Olaf Scholz said ‘I’m not sending any more equipment, I won’t send any tanks’. Now he’s in a bind because the United States has simply robbed him of the option of bailing out. Who’s going to supply him gas and oil and coal and everything else if he bails out? Where does he turn now? And remember, the Germans, who are facing terrible consequences at home refuse to restart nuclear power plants,” the former official said.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

Conclusion first, reasoning second.

* Russia, pro: Putin is a paranoid lunatic with an impotent corrupt army. He's lunatic enough to threaten nuclear war over and over, and to depend on a proven impotent corrupt army by throwing conscripts straight into battle. He also loves to kill high ranking dissenters and make it look like suicide. He sends agents to kill expats in foreign countries. He blames the West for his own actions. He blames clear military failures on accidents. He likes sending messages to the West. His pipelines are not going to be used for natural gas shipments any time soon, he can't pull up the pieces for salvage, so why not get some mileage out of them now by blowing them up and blaming it on the West? He's got access to the Baltic.

* Russia, con: Is his navy really competent enough to pull off something like this? Seems pretty doubtful. Why would he want to blow up a potential revenue source? The risk of getting caught is too high.

US, pro: Biden is just senile enough to have ordered this without realizing it. The US is probably the most likely to do it, technology-wise has access to the Baltic, has demonstrated similar technologies before, as in the Glomar Explorer and tapping Russian communication cables, and it's one hell of a good way to back threats around the world. The US has been a very active global policeman ever since WW II, and this is one way to force the EU to stay the Green course and maintain the Russian sanctions. They need something to stiffen their backbone when winter hits and makes Putin's gas look really really tempting.

US, con: Like Russia, the backlash for being caught would be terrible. The EU is not going back to buying Russian gas now, it's too late.

Ukraine, pro: Nordstream 2 bypassed Ukraine, why not blow it up? Blowing it up prevents the EU from changing their minds on Russian sanctions.

Ukraine, con: no Baltic access, probably doesn't even has the technological means to do it.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

US, con: Like Russia, the backlash for being caught would be terrible. The EU is not going back to buying Russian gas now, it’s too late.

This argument can be thrown into the US Pro argument.

I'm sorry, there is really no set of conditions (by the US And the EUs own rhetoric) that the US didn't do this.

[Agammamon]

US pro:. There are so many effectively rogue agencies with mandates to kill (especially outside the US) that any one of them could have done this after some 'totally not a conspiracy' talking among fellow travellers.

'you know what needs to be done'.

[Agammamon]

The Russians did do it - through natural Russian corruption and managerial shittiness.

Not sabotage - maintenance failure.

[ElvisIsReal]

On BOTH lines, 17 hours apart? Come on, man!

[Russell Seitz]

It will be interesting to see how Fox TV tries to spin the hurricane given that it came ashore in Tucker Carlson's Florida back yard
https://vvattsupwiththat.blogspot.com/2022/09/pride-goeth-before-squall.html

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Spin the hurricane LOL.

[Russell Seitz]

They'll need to— they spin left in this hemisphere

[Fats of Fury]

You didn't write "Faux News", your paymasters should deduct that from your fifty cents.

[Russell Seitz]

The cliche' is strong in this one.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Here's how CNN spun the hurricane.

[Russell Seitz]

And here's a climate scientist explaining how to avoid spin doctoring it either way
Enjoy:
https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2022/09/watching-the-detections/

[Sevo]

And here's how a lefty pile of shit tries to claim neutrality.
Fuck off and die, steaming pile of lefty shit.

[CE]

Hurricanes have been spinning all by themselves since before there were people in Florida.

[R Mac]

Wtf is this nonsense?

I’m late to this party. I hope you come back again Russell, pretty sure you’re a drive by though.

[JFree]

If Putin Nukes Ukraine, Russia Could Win the War

In fact, the likely Western response would play right into Putin’s hands. His initial nuclear use would be met with a less than proportionate response, demonstrating Western weakness. Moscow would have gotten away with using a nuclear weapon, shown that deterrence was meaningless, and set itself up to use nuclear weapons again in the future.

[CE]

Or anyone authorizing the launch would be treated as a terrorist and taken out with a drone stroke, one of those bladed ones the size of a car, with no explosives. They know where his winter home is.

[CE]

It can be tough to train your brain to stay in "problem-solving mode" when faced with a challenge in life.

No need. Just sign a petition to get the professor fired.

[Nobartium]

When considering foreign policy issues, shouldn't libertarians worry not only about acts of commission but also acts of omission?

Nope. And not just in foreign policy.

[DesigNate]

That’s a Mike or Jeff level question.

[Utkonos]

You know who else had a foreign policy that created a lot of storms through acts of commission?
(I hope that was incoherent enough)

[creech]

Louis XIV?

[Russell Seitz]

The deluge arrived in Florida last week.

[Utkonos]

Mais ca, c’est apres nous!!

[TheReEncogitationer]

King Canute? No wait, he tried to stop the tides with his words.

[Liberty Lover]

Why doesn’t Joe Biden just issue an Executive Order outlawing destructive storms? I am sure it will be just as effective as the rest of his Executive Orders. Ever after storms will just keep getting worse!!!! See gas prices See grocery prices See inflation See the stock market See housing starts See wars See the border etc. etc. etc.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

RE the photo: lady/Asian drivers, amirite?