Reason.tv - Topics

Schools Use GPS Uniforms to Track Students! (Nanny of the Month, April 2012)

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:30:00 EDT

We've got Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal demanding clean urine in exchange for welfare benefits (a bad idea that also doesn't work as advertised, but hey, at least the boozers are safe!), North Carolina regulators busting a blogger for praising the paleo diet (an offense that can get you tossed in the clink!), but this month the freakiest controllers come to us from a Brazilian city where public schools have begun tracking thousands of 4-to-14-year-olds with GPS-embedded uniforms. (At least they're not tagging the kiddos' ears!)

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for April 2012: The City of Vitoria da Conquista!

Approximately 80 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Go here to watch previous "Nanny of the Month" episodes.

Scroll down for downloadable versions of this and all our videos, and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new content is posted.

What We Saw at the Reason Rally

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv headed down to the National Mall for the Reason Rally (no affiliation!) in Washington, DC. The March 24 event was billed as the “largest gathering of the secular movement in world history” and drew a several thousand-strong crowd of damp, enthusiastic unbelievers (and a few protesting believers) to the National Mall. Reason.tv asked a few of these folks why they bothered to gather on a rainy Saturday.

Produced by Joshua Swain, interviews by Lucy Steigerwald

Approximately 2:47 minutes long.

Scroll down for HD, iPod and audio versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

An Atheist Billboard in Brooklyn

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:30:00 EDT

American Atheists have unveiled a billboard directed at Williamsburg, Brooklyn's extremely devout Hasidic Jewish community with the provocative statement, "You know it's a myth. And you have a choice."

Reason TV correspondent Kennedy braved the 'Burg to ask the locals how they feel about atheists prosthelytizing from signs in the sky. Later, Kennedy had a feisty conversation in an active junkyard with American Atheists President Dave Silverman, mere steps away from the controversial billboard.

American Atheists will be holding their Reason Rally (no relation to Reason) on March 24^th, 2012 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

About 2 minutes. Produced by Anthony L Fisher.

Music: "Fresh Born (Deerhoof cover)" by Nick Hennies

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Arab Spring Update: Freedom House's Arch Puddington on How 2012 Will Be Like 1989.

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

"As significant as 1989 when the Berlin wall came down, overwhelmingly the story of 2012 is centered in the Middle East,” says Freedom House's Arch Puddington. "People were inspired by events in Egypt, they started demanding their rights.”

Puddington has helped record the long-overdue revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and countries in the Freedom in the World 2012 index. Founded in 1941, Freedom House quantifies and ranks the political freedom and civil liberties of every country in the world as "Free," "Partly Free," or "Not Free."

Though the Arab Spring has led some regimes to respond with arrests and killings, Puddington remains confident political rights and civil liberties will succeed in the longer run. Since the first Freedom in the World index was published in 1973, he notes, free countries have doubled in number and not-free countries have declined. In the 2012 edition, 87 countries are listed as Free, 60 as Partly Free, and 48 as Not Free.

Approximately 5 minutes.

Interview by Matt Welch. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Joshua Swain; edited by Swain.

Scroll down for downloadable versions, and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

3 Reasons Not to Get Worked Up Over Super PACs

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

Everybody and their brother – even Stephen Colbert - is freaking out about “super PACs,” which are an outgrowth of the Citzens United decision in 2010.

Traditional political action committees (PACs) are subject to federal limits on how much money donors can give in specific election cycles. Super PACS allow groups such as nonprofit corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political speech as long as they don’t coordinate their activity with the official campaign of a given candidate.

But for all the bellyaching, here are three good reasons not to get worked up over super PACS.

1. Billionaires don’t need them to influence elections.

In the wake of an anti-Mitt Romney documentary from Winning Our Future, a group tied to billionaire Sheldon Adelstein,The New York Times fretted that the film – which has had little or no effect on Romney’s candidacay – “underscores how [Citizens United] has made it possible for a wealthy individual to influence an election.”

Actually, it’s always been legal for rich people to spend what they want as long as they make “independent expenditures” that aren’t coordinated with official campaigns. Billionares don’t need super Pacs to get their message out. But super PACS may just let the rest of us have our say.

2. Super PACS Go Negative – and That’s a Good Thing!

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), whose campaign finance legislation was rendered moot by Citizens United, complains that super Pacs not only flood elections with money but flood it with negative messages. McCain, who lost a run for presidency, admits that negative campaigning works, but doesn’t like the tone.

Yet study after study shows not only that negative advertising works with voters, but that negative ads actually contain more information than gauzy paeans to American and the virtues of the candidates who pay for such spots.

3. Super PACS Take Power Away From the Parties.

There’s no question that super PACs seek to benefit some candidates by taking aim at others. Adelstein, the moneybags behind the anti-Romney documentary, is known to be a Newt Gingrich fan.

But as long as super PACs don’t coordinate with candidates or official party apparatchiks, they take messaging out of the hands of party leaders and spread it around elsewhere in a way that has got to be more representative of more views of more voters.

Super PACs are the latest casus belli in the push for controlling specifically political speech in the name of making elections fairer. There’s no doubt that they are a loophole arising from the last round of campaign finance reform and the attempt to limit the amount of money politicians would have to raise to get their message out.

It’s time to recognize that the only way to stop creating new loopholes is by ending the always ineffective laws designed to lower the cost office-seekers need to spend to buy our votes.

About 3 minutes long. Written and narrated by Nick Gillespie. Produced by Meredith Bragg.

Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos.

Reason on campaign finance.

Mike Riggs Discusses the U.S.'s Hypocrisy with Internet Freedom on RT

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Mike Riggs appeared on RT America to discuss the hypocrisy behind the U.S.'s urge for internet freedom abroad yet increasingly restricts the same freedoms at home. Airdate: December 8, 2011.

7.19 minutes.

Scroll down for HD, iPod and audio versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's Youtube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Occupy Wall Street Removed from Zuccotti Park by NYPD (11/15/2011)

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST

Around 1 a.m. on November 15, the New York Police Department forcibly removed Occupy Wall Street protesters (OWS) from their months-long encampment in Zuccotti Park. Depending on how you feel about OWS, the clearing of the privately owned park was either long overdue or a violation of First Amendment rights. A new policy allows protesters to gather in the park, but they cannot sleep or camp there.

Reason contributor Michael Tracey captured live footage as the NYPD forced OWS participants out of the park and away from adjacent areas. This four-minute video is taken from about 35 minutes of footage and includes an interview with a protester explaining how the original clearing of the park took place. "Even like the legitimate press," he explains, "like CNN, they [the NYPD] wouldn't allow them in there."

Watch also NYPD Cop Punches Protester, similarly taken from Tracey's footage.

And check out our ongoing OWS videos and coverage here.

About 4:20 minutes. Shot by Michael Tracey; edited by Meredith Bragg.

Follow Tracey on Twitter at @mtracey

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Adrian Moore Talks Occupy Oakland Violence on Freedom Watch

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Vice President of Research Adrian Moore appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss how Occupy Oakland is getting out of hand, as the self-proclaimed peaceful protesters are now violating property rights. Air date: November 3, 2011.

Approximately 3 minutes.

Scroll down for downloadable versions of this video. Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel for automatic updates when new content is posted.

Mike Riggs Discusses Local Governments vs. the Occupy Movements on the Alyona Show

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Associate Editor Mike Riggs appeared on the Alyona Show to discuss recent encroachments by local governments to stall Occupy movements from excising freedom of speech and assembly in their cities. Airdate: November 1, 2011.

6.20 minutes.

Scroll down for HD, iPod and audio versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's Youtube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Bill O'Reilly Discusses Reason.tv Video of Anti-Semitic Occupy LA Protester

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

The O'Reilly Factor's Bill O'Reilly and media critic Bernard Goldberg discuss Reason.tv's video of an anti-Semitic protester at Occupy Wall Street in Los Angeles. O'Reilly and Goldberg analyze this video and discuss whether anti-Semitism is a recurring theme at these protests, and question why the mainstream media is not covering this angle.

Approximately 8 minutes.

Scroll down for downloadable versions of this video. Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel for automatic updates when new content is posted.

Remy's Occupy Wall Street Protest Song

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EDT

As the Occupy Wall Street movement spreads like a, well, financial contagion through global markets, intergalactic Internet sensation Remy and Reason.tv give the movement its anthem.

Written and performed by Remy and produced by Meredith Bragg.

About 2.45 minutes. Go to http://reason.tv for downloadable versions. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get automatic updates when new material goes live.

For Reason's coverage of Occupy Wall Street, including video coverage from lower Manhattan, go here.

Follow Reason on Twitter.

For more Remy & Reason.tv vids, go here.

For even more Remy, go to his YouTube channel.

Lyrics to the "Occupy Wall Street Protest Song"

Come gather round people
come and join your hands
we're taking Wall Street
and we're making demands
and we're heeding the call
and we're crying for help
only 1% of us have wealth

but first we need posters
we need to make signs
but to do so it seems
that we need some supplies

We need poster board
I can't make it myself
but it's 10 cents a sheet
at the store it's on sale
an example of economies of scale
it's so evil

They're saying that freedom
has done little to stop
Corporations from keeping
the wealth at the top
But at what point in history
would a kid and a king
both have clean water to drink?

George Washington was
the richest man of his age
But he lost all his teeth
at a very young age
Because they didn't have Scope
and they all crapped in trays
we're not wealthy?

now there's fountains on streets
from which clean water pours
Four dollar generics
at all big box stores
a sultan and student
both have iPhone 4s
it's not fair

Come gather young people
come on everyone
and I'll tell you a tale
of a fortunate son

He's born in a country
and given vaccine
and rendered immune
to all kinds of disease
the Kardashians are on
all his TVs
it's not perfect

Banks don't need bailouts
on that we agree
so let's start up a group
and let's take to the streets
because if we do that then
you know what that means
we're racist.
[End]

Mike Riggs Joins Alyone's Happy Hour to Discuss Cars 2, a Southwest Pilot, and John Galliano's Rants

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Associate Editor of Reason Magazine Mike Riggs appeared on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to discuss whether Cars 2 is against big oil compaines, a Southwest pilot's sexist rant about Houston's airport, France's problem with John Galliano's free speech and how Facebook helped end a hostage situation. Air Date: June 24, 2011.

Approximately 8 minutes.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's Youtube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Jim Epstein Discusses His Arrest at the DC Taxicab Commission Meeting with Judge Napolitano

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv producer Jim Epstein talks to Judge Napolitano about what sparked his arrest at the DC Taxicab Commission Meeting and whether the government can prevent reporters from using cameras in public hearings. Air date: June 23, 2011.

Approximately 3.41 minutes.

Scroll down for downloadable version of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel for updates on when videos go live.

Three Reasons Not to Fund Art With Taxes

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EDT

A few weeks back, Hollywood movie stars and groups such as the Creative Coalition stormed Washington, D.C. to lobby for increased taxpayer funding of the arts. Most memorably, Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey told Hardball's Chris Matthew that Abraham Lincoln was a huge theater fan who "understood that he needed the arts to replenish his soul." (Not surprisingly, Spacey didn't mention where Lincoln was assassinated or the profession of his killer).

But funding the arts with taxapayer dollars is a bad idea for at least three reasons.

1. Publicly financed art is easily censored art. Last December, the National Portrait Gallery almost immediately pulled a four-minute video called "A Fire in My Belly" after complaints from the Catholic League and politicians such as Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who objected to images of ants crawling over a crucifix. It's hard to imagine a private museum so quickly and cravenly pulling an offending piece. But when the taxpayer is footing the bill, the most easily aggrieved among us yields a thug's veto. Indeed, in February, scandalized Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) even called for getting rid of a 1922 statue in New York City due to what he says is its sexist portrayal of women.

2. We're broke. Advocates of public funding for the arts routinely argue that the budget of groups such as the National Endowment for the Arts comes to just pennies per citizen and the cost of just one Pentagon bomber is comparatively huge. But government at every level is flat broke, so it's all money we don't have. Defense spending, which has jacked up by over 70 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars since 2001, should be cut drastically. But that doesn't mean smaller items should get a pass or that taxpayers should pony up for another season of Dr. Who reruns on PBS.

3. It's unnecessary. NEA head Rocco Landesman has defended grants to groups such as the San Francisco Mime Troupe on the grounds that it is a world-famous outfit that has contributed mightily to the stage. Which is another way of saying it should have little to no trouble finding private patrons to help it out. Americans give around $13 billion a year in private donations to the arts. That's a lot of money and if it's not enough to fund every request, groups such as the San Francisco Mime Troupe will just have to figure out how to better work the crowd.

About 2.45 minutes.

Produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts.

Scroll down for downloadable versions, and subscribe to Reason.tv’s YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Jefferson Memorial Dance Dance Revolution - 6/4/2011

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

One week ago, May 28, 2011, RT correspondent and former U.S. Corporal Adam Kokesh and four other participants began a flash mob-silent dance at the Jefferson Memorial to commemorate the arrest of Brooke Oberwetter for quietly dancing in the memorial on Jefferson's birthday in 2008. The park police responded by punching, body slamming, and arresting Kokesh and the others.

Today, June 4, Kokesh and Code Pink has initiated another flash dance this time pulling almost 100 more people through press coverage, Facebook, and word of mouth. The memorial was soon shut down before the event ended with the police slowly forcing everyone to leave. No arrests were made. Reason.tv’s Joshua Swain was there to report.

Read Reason's coverage of Obwerwetter.

About 1.40 minutes

Shot and edited by Joshua Swain; help from David Bier.

Scroll down for downloadable versions, and subscribe to Reason.tv’s YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

The Government's War on Cameras

Thu, 26 May 2011 09:00:00 EDT

Who will watch the watchers? In a world of ubiquitous, hand-held digital cameras, that's not an abstract philosophical question. Police everywhere are cracking down on citizens using cameras to capture breaking news and law enforcement in action.

In 2009, police arrested blogger and freelance photographer Antonio Musumeci on the steps of a New York federal courthouse. His alleged crime? Unauthorized photography on federal property.

Police cuffed and arrested Musumeci, ultimately issuing him a citation. With the help of the New York Civil Liberties Union, he forced a settlement in which the federal government agreed to issue a memo acknowledging that it is totally legal to film or photograph on federal property.

Although the legal right to film on federal property now seems to be firmly established, many other questions about public photography still remain and place journalists and citizens in harm's way. Can you record a police encounter? Can you film on city or state property? What are a photographer's rights in so-called public spaces?

These questions will remain unanswered until a case reaches the Supreme Court, says UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh, founder of the popular law blog The Volokh Conspiracy. Until then, it's up to people to know their rights and test the limits of free speech, even at the risk of harassment and arrest.

Who will watch the watchers? All of us, it turns out, but only if we're willing to fight for our rights.

Produced by Hawk Jensen and Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Jim Epstein and Jensen. About 7.30 minutes.

Read Reason magazine's January 2011 cover story, "The War on Cameras" and the companion piece "How to Record the Cops." For Reason.com coverage of the war on cameras, go here.

Scroll down for downloadable versions of the video and mp3 and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

The High Value of Low Speech: First Amendment Attorney Robert Corn-Revere Defends The Right to Offend

Mon, 23 May 2011 11:00:00 EDT

"All First Amendment cases are about the power," says First Amendment attorney Robert Corn-Revere. "Who should have the power to tell individuals what to read, think, believe or feel?"

At Reason Foundation's annual Reason Weekend, Corn-Revere made the case that speech should be free even when that speech is widely reviled. He discussed the range of historical judicial opinions on the First Amendment, his involvement in defending pornographer John Stagliano against obscenity charges, his defense of the Westboro Baptist Church, and how he managed to get a posthumous pardon for comedian Lenny Bruce.

About 34 minutes. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick; edited by Zach Weissmueller.

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to get automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses Anti-Sharia to Anti-Junk Food Bills on The Alyona Show

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward appeared on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to discuss the various topics of the proposed anti-Sharia bill in Tennessee, new federal guidelines for marketing food to children, and the arresting of a facebook-ing teenager for 'disorderly conduct.'

Approximately 6.28 minutes.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Are Dems More Thin-Skinned than Reps? Comedian Sam Tripoli on PC, Ron Paul, and Naughtiness

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EDT

"I find that, in L.A. at least, opinions hurt your career," says comedian Sam Tripoli.

Tripoli, a national headliner who runs the Naughty Comedy Show at the Hollywood Improv and also hosts the Naughty Show Podcast, is fed up with political correctness in comedy, and his targets include Bill Maher, beer commercials, and easily offended audiences.

Tripoli, a self-proclaimed libertarian, sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to discuss the state of stand-up, why he digs Ron Paul, and the difference between performing in Blue States versus Red States.

This video contains explicit content, and viewer discretion is advised.

Camera by Zach Weissmueller, Paul Detrick, and Hawk Jensen. Edited by Weissmueller.

Approximately 9 minutes.

Scroll down for HD, ipod, and audio versions, and subscribe to Reason.tv's You Tube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Radley Balko Discusses Heated Rhetoric on RT's The Alyona Show

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Radley Balko appeared on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to debate ThinkProgress blogger Alex Seitz-Wald on Travis Corcoran's comments and whether words can lead to violence. Airdate January 25, 2010.

Approximately 9.05 minutes.

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Michael Moynihan Discusses the Tucson Shooting on CBC

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Michael Moynihan on CBC's Power & Politics with Evan Solomon discussed whether the alleged politically motives behind the Tuscon shooting is a media creation and whether "toning down" heated rhetoric would have prevented the tragedy. Airdate: January 10, 2011.

Approximately 10 minutes.

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

What's the Biggest Threat to Free Speech?

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

What's the biggest threat to free speech? Reason.tv asks a cavalcade of politicians, journalists, filmmakers and content creators ranging from former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-N.M.) to Fox News' Greg Gutfeld to The Atlantic's Megan McArdle to adult filmmaker John Stagliano to new media magnate Andrew Breitbart to call their shot.

Featured (in order of appearance):

Andy Levy, Fox News’ Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld

Gov. Gary Johnson, Our America Initiative

Roger Stone, Political Strategist, Blogger, The StoneZone

John Stagliano, Evil Angel Productions

Cyan Banister, CEO, Zivity.com

Robert Corn-Revere, Davis Wright Tremaine

Kevin D. Williamson, Deputy Managing Editor, National Review

John Tierney, Science Columnist, The New York Times

Robert A. George, Editorial Writer, The New York Post

Kristin Davis, "Manhattan Madam" and NY Gubernatorial Candidate

Andrew Breitbart, Big Hollywood/Big Government/Big Journalism

Tunku Varadarajan, Editor, Newsweek International & NYU Professor

Rob Kampia, Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project

Scott Ross, Editor, NBC's PopcornBiz

S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News and The Daily Caller

Bob Bowdon, Director, The Cartel

Tony Ortega, Editor in Chief, The Village Voice

Fred Smith, President, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Joe Garden, Features Editor, The Onion

John Papola, Producer-Director, “Fear the Boom and Bust”

Megan McArdle, Business and Economics Editor, The Atlantic

Greg Gutfeld, Fox News’ Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld

The interviews were conducted on December 9, 2010, at The Box, a nightclub on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They took place during a Reason event designed to celebrate our work - and those of others across the political and ideological spectrum - in defense of free expression.

Interviews conducted by Michael C. Moynihan and filmed and edited by Jim Epstein. Approximately 3.30 minutes.

Scroll down for downloadable version of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses Mid-Term Elections and Campaigns on Al Jazeera

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward appears in an Al Jazeera story discussing mid-term election strategies and how the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision reshaped the way campaigns were financed. Airdate: November 5, 2010.

Approximately 6.45 minutes.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Who is Publius? or, Who's Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EDT

To hear the Obama administration tell it, there are few things worse than anonymous political activity. Just recently, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told the Christian Science Monitor:

The untold story of 2010 is not the "tea party" or not the health-care bill, or a number of these issues. It is the amount of money that is flowing in districts around the country and particularly the amount of anonymous money....
I haven’t been any place where there aren’t dozens of ads now being run and nobody knows who is behind them...I am used to a political system where people engage in battles and you know who brought them to the dance.

But is anonymous political speech really that new - or that bad?

Indeed, anonymous political speech isn't just a great American tradition. It helped create the United States of America. The Federalist Papers, the series of essays that influenced the adoption of the Constitution, were published under the pseudonym "Publius" (in reality James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay). The anti-Constitution position was in turn articulated by "the Federal Farmer," whose identity remains a mystery.

Former Federal Election Commission chair Bradley Smith lays out other arguments in favor of anonymous political speech in a contemporary context:

[Election] disclosure regulations are some of the most burdensome. Disclosure limits free speech because it allows the government to retaliate against people. The Supreme Court has consistently held that people do have a right to anonymous speech. The cases speak for themselves.
The most prominent one is probably NAACP v. Alabama (1964), when Alabama wanted to know who was funding the NAACP’s activities. We can see how that would be intimidating. Then there’s McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission (1995). McIntyre was doing anonymous brochures against a school tax, which all the school officials supported. She had children in the schools who needed grades and access to such things as athletic teams and bands. She didn’t necessarily want her name known, even though it was important for her to fight this issue. Another major case was Brown v. Socialist Workers ’74 Campaign Committee (1982). The socialists rightly said, “If we have to reveal our donors, they won’t give us money. They will get harassed. Their businesses will get blackballed and that sort of thing.” Disclosure can be more inhibiting than people think.

Which is something to think about when people already in power push legislation such as The DISCLOSE Act, which would force groups to list donors and reveal their names in advertisements. The DISCLOSE Act is in part a response to this year's controversial Citizen's United v. Federal Election Commission ruling by the Supreme Court. Hyperbolically likened by critics to the infamous Dred Scott decision, Citizen's United dealt with a documentary film censored by the government and broadened the speech rights of corporations, unions, and nonprofits. Far from opening American politics up to undue influence by unspecificed foreigners (as President Obama has charged), the ruling makes it easier for smaller groups and individuals to spread their messages.

As with many political firestorms, the current one about "dangerous" anonymous speech generates more heat than insight. Anonymous speech is fully in the American grain but it also comes at a price. When the source of political speech is not known or disclosed, voters tend to discount it, or at least look for corroboration elsewhere. Which is exactly how it should be. And if you don't in the end trust voters to make informed decisions, then all the mandatory disclosure in the world can't help them.

"Who is Publius?" is written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie. Approximately 45 seconds.

For downloadable versions of this Reason.tv videos, scroll down. To receive automatic notification when new material goes live, subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel.

Feminist Constance Penley on Porn, Obscenity, and John Stagliano

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EDT

Constance Penley is a professor of Film and Media Studies at University of California at Santa Barbara and co-director of the Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television, and New Media. Penley specializes in film history and theory, feminist theory, and cultural studies. She is especially well-known on campus for her controversial classes on pornography, where she analyzes the ways in which blue movies play with moral and social taboos.

Penley was slated to be an expert witness in the obscenity trial of pornographer John Stagliano, who faces up to 32 years in jail and $7 million in fines for distributing three adult movies. The judge in Stagliano's case disallowed Penley and Lawrence Sank from testifying for the defense.

Reason.tv's Hawk Jensen sat down with Penley to discuss the history of pornography, obscenity laws, and the case against John Stagliano, whom Penley has called "the Woody Allen of porn."

Approximately 8 minutes. Produced by Hawk Jensen and filmed by Zach Weissmueller.

For more on Stagliano's prosecution, go here.

Scroll down for downloadable versions of this and all our videos, and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

C-SPAN Founder and CEO Brian Lamb Full Interview

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT

In 2003 Reason named C-SPAN Founder and CEO Brian Lamb one of our 35 Heroes of Freedom for “turning a surveillance camera on the den of iniquity known as the U.S. House of Representatives.” Lamb sat down with Reason.tv editor Nick Gillespie for a wide-ranging -- and distinctively non-stoned faced -- discussion about the network, his views on politics, and a possible alternate career choice as a drummer for Merle Haggard.

Approximately 40 minutes. Produced, shot and edited by Meredith Bragg, Dan Hayes and Joshua Swain.

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

3 Reasons YouTube Shouldn't Censor Downfall Parodies

Wed, 05 May 2010 07:00:00 EDT

The video sharing site YouTube.com recently started blocking access to countless parodies of the 2004 German movie Downfall, a critically acclaimed film that chronicles Adolf Hitler's final days in a Berlin bunker.

The parodies take off from a powerful monologue by the great actor Bruno Ganz and the original joke version had Hitler being banned from XBox Live for bad behavior. Other examples feature Hitler trying to score Miley Cyrus concert tickets, counseling Conan O'Brien after losing a late-night slot to Jay Leno, and much more.

It's understandable why Downfall's production company, Constantin Film, might be upset that such a serious movie is being burlesqued, but pushing YouTube to ban the parodies is a terrible idea for at least three reasons:

1. It's fair use! The parodies, which transform a few minutes of a three-hour movie, are clearly legit under existing copyright laws. Because they clearly transform the original and have no possibility of confusing viewers, the parodies are clearly protected speech.

2. This is free promotion! As George Lucas could tell the filmmakers, fan-generated videos help keep the original source material vital and relevant. Lucas used to try to police all Star Wars knock-offs, until he realized that his audience was promoting his films more effectively than he ever could. More people have surely seen Downfall due to the popularity of the parodies.

3. Let's keep the Internet creative! The greatest cultural development over the past 20 or so years has been technologies that allow producers and consumers to create and enjoy an ever-increasing array of creative expression in an ever-increasing array of circumstances. This development is nowhere more powerful than on the Internet, which has unleashed a whole new universe of writing, music, video, and more. Indeed, YouTube is itself one of the great conduits of cyberspace. Pulling down the Downfall parodies may be within YouTube's rights, but it nonetheless strikes a blow to the heart of what is totally awesome about the Internet.

"3 Reason YouTube Shouldn't Censor Downfall Parodies" is written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts.

Approximately 2:49 minutes. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions. Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live.

Nick Gillespie Talks about the Citizen's United Case on Bill Moyers Journal

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 07:28:00 EDT

On February 15, 2010, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie appeared on Bill Moyers Journal to talk about the controversial Supreme Court ruling, Citizen's United v. Federal Election Commission.

Approximately 27 minutes.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Advice Goddess Amy Alkon on Beating Some Manners into Impolite Society

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:30:00 EST

"I don't like regulations," says Amy Alkon, a syndicated advice columnist who blogs daily at AdviceGoddess.com. "I like to shame people into behaving better."

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Alkon to discuss her new book, I See Rude People: One woman's battle to beat some manners into impolite society. Alkon explains how she and others mix chutzpah with technology to fight back against the insane drivers, coffee-house yackers, and subway perverts who make our lives miserable.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Edited by Alex Manning. Music: "I Think I Started a Trend," by Brad Sucks (Magnatune Records).

Just under 10 minutes. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

And come back to Reason.tv March 15 through March 19 for the debut of Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey: How to fix the "Mistake on The Lake" and other once-great American cities, an original six-part documentary series.

Dramatic Olbermann vs. Dramatic Chipmunk

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST

No one is more self-dramatizing on cable news than male hysteric, unsolicited janitor of Cooperstown, and Countdown host Keith Olbermann, who includes more special effects during his Castro-length "Special Comment" segments than Mikhail Kalatozov did in I Am Cuba (one cinematically exemplary rant remains Commandante O's multi-camera denouncement of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign).

When Olbermann is not ripping "tea-baggers" (get it, har har har) or slagging honest reporters such as Miami Herald TV critic and Reason contributing editor Glenn Garvin (who committed the unpardonable crime of reporting that Olbermann donned a Bill O'Reilly mask and did Nazi salutes in front of a room full of TV critics), he is courageously taking a stand in favor of English-only at schools, judging Rupert Murdoch's Fox News as "worse than Al Qaeda," and extolling Sen. All Aboard Amtrak, Joe Biden, who embodies the Holy Trinity of Olbermannia: "passion, detail and eloquence."

Countdown—it's like Rupert Pupkin finally did get a talk show that could broadcast far past the paneled walls of Mom's basement and reach most of the neighborhood—is must-see TV, as riveting as a nail gun powered by nuclear energy on steroids, the sort of can't-turn-away-from-car-wreck-like commentary usually associated with CNN hosts who have actually been in car wrecks (like this guy and this one).

And yet, even (or perhaps especially) in Obama's America, where Dick Cheney is still making millions of ill-gotten gains by keeping unemployment high and sending troops to the Middle East and Central Asia to secure Haliburton's ultra-lucrative tapioca concessions, there are signs that this world was never meant for one as beautiful as Olbermann.

"Has the countdown begun for the end of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann'?" asks The New York Post. "With his ratings in free-fall, and his hateful histrionics reaching new highs, even Olbermann's former supporters on the left are tuning out." Indeed, The Los Angeles Times reports, "In the most desirable TV demographic of 25-54, which Keith will soon outgrow himself, 'Countdown' lost 44% of its audience from the beginning of President Obama's term until this year."

As a public service, and before Keith Olbermann joins the likes of failed talk show hosts such as Jerry Lewis, Chevy Chase, J.D. Hayworth, and former ESPN colleague Craig Kilborn, it's worth remembering just how damn good Olbermann was before he lost the pop on his bat and could no longer backpedal with the sun in his eyes.

Like some small-screen, basic-cable Capt. Queeg without the strawberry fetish, Olbermann was staying up late and counting and recounting his vote for the Worst Person In The World (surprise! Bill O'Reilly won again!) while the rest of us were tearing it up on the playing fields of ~~Princeton~~ the Xbox version of NCAA Football. While the rest of us were arguing about politics, going to work every day, paying our taxes, protesting stupid policies...who was standing guard over this fat, dumb, happy country of ours, eh? Not us. Oh, no, we knew you couldn't make any money ~~in the service~~ in cable TV. So who did the dirty work for us? ~~Queeg~~ Olbermann did! And a lot of other guys. Tough, sharp guys who didn't crack up like ~~Queeg~~ Olbermann.

Before he descends to that green room below, the one where you have to do your own makeup and bring your own Evian (which is really tap water poured into a bottle you found behind the local 7-11) and use a Johnny-on-the-Spot (or better yet, just hold it until your 30-second spot is over and you can use the can in the nearby Waffle House, as gross as it is), gaze upon Olbermann throwing down against the single most dramatic figure on this damnable series of tubes we've come to rely on even more than latter-day Eric Sevareids and low-rated, histrionic opinion journalists.

And as Olbermann fades from memory even though he's still on the air, like Diagnosis: Murder or DeGrassi Junior High, The Joe Franklin Show, and Oliver North's War Stories, all of which may well be producing new episodes, ask yourself: Didn't he take it to the chipmunk (which is not really a chipmunk, we know) like a pro? Go tell the Spartans, or at least Roger Ailes, that this was one Cool Hand Luke who could really take a punch!

For downloadable iPod, HD, and audio versions of "Dramatic Olbermann vs. Dramatic Chipmunk" scroll down. Watch the video at Reason.tv YouTube channel (subscribe to it and you'll get automatic notificatins whenever new material goes live!). Approximately 13 seconds long; produced by Meredith Bragg and me.

Nick Gillespie is the editor in chief of Reason.tv and Reason.com.

3 Reasons Not To Sweat The Citizens United Ruling

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:00:00 EST

No recent Supreme Court ruling have evoked more liberal fury than Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a campaign-finance case involving government censorship of a political documentary called Hillary: The Movie. The Federal Election Commission prevented the anti-Hillary Clinton film from being shown on television just before the 2008 Democratic primaries, a decision that was upheld by lower courts. Siding with The First Amendment, the Court struck down laws regulating independent political advertising by for-profit and non-profit corporations before an election even as they reaffirmed rules about disclosure and disclosures for ads and against direct corporate giving to candidates.

Critics fear that corporations will now overwhelm the political marketplace with commercials and advertisements that will program citizens to vote for whatever agenda "the corprations" want at a given moment.

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann railed against the decision, calling it "a Supreme Court-sanctioned murder of what little democracy is left in this democracy" and comparing it to the notorious Dred Scott decision, which ruled that blacks had no rights under the Constitution. His fellow corporate media host at MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, exclaimed, "If you are a regular person who has ever made a campaign donation before, forget about ever having to do that again. What's the point?"

Cyberlaw theorist Lawrence Lessig has called for a consitutional amendment to roll back the Citizens United ruling and President Barack Obama called out the Supreme Court during his 2010 State of the Union address, proclaiming to a standing ovation:

The Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections.

Is there any truth to some hyperbolic, doomsday scenarios? In a word, no. The Citizens United ruling increases freedom of political speech, not simply for powerful, politically connected corporations like Citigroup, AIG, and the companies that run The New York Times and other media outlets, but for small-pocketed nonprofits such as Citizens United too. If you want to get bent out of shape about something, direct your ire at a massive and constantly growing government that has its hands in virtually every aspect of economic and social life in America.

"3 Reasons Not to Sweat The Citizens United Ruling" was written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts.

For Reason.com's archive on the Citizens United case, go here.

Approximately 3.30 minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel and received automatic notifications when new material goes online.

All the President's Newsmen

Wed, 20 May 2009 06:00:00 EDT

With the proliferation of news on the Internet, Americans aren't supporting their local newspapers. Circulation and ad revenues are way down, while web readership—where the news is likely to be free and up-to-the-minute—is way up. Technology has changed the game. But for those who see a connection between American democracy and the demise of the newspaper industry, it's time to get the government involved to save the news business.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act, a bill that would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) warns of the "serious consequences for our democracy" if his hometown paper, The Boston Globe, goes belly up. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has publicly argued for an antitrust exemption to save the San Francisco Chronicle, a paper that has long supported her political career. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) recently argued that "If Congress does not act...a major city in the United States will be without a newspaper in the fairly near future."

Washington can give newspapers tax breaks or generous subsides to keep them afloat. There are many ways of extending the life of a terminally-ill by forcing onto life support. But why should the government support an industry that consumers are rejecting?

"Most of those supporting a newspaper bailout were also critical of the media’s behavior in the run-up to the Iraq War," says Reason senior editor Michael Moynihan. "Now imagine the reaction if the very same journalists wrote the very same stories about Iraq in 2002 but were reliant upon the Bush administration for their survival."

Scroll down for embed code, an audio podcast, and iPod and HD versions.

For a YouTube version of this video, go here.

Correction: The amount of French tax subsidies to newspapers is misstated. The correct figure is $800 million.

Fox News Channel Red Eye Host Greg Gutfeld on Media Bias, Liberal Intolerance, and Why Drugs Really, Really, Really Need to Be Legal

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Before he became the host of Fox News Channel's rollicking late-night show Red Eye in January 2007, Greg Gutfeld had worked at magazines as varied as The American Spectator, Prevention, Men's Health, Stuff, and Maxim UK. And, as the fortysomething California native once told Reason.tv, he applied for—and was rejected with extreme indifference—a job at Reason.

Gutfeld appeared recently at Reason Weekend, the annual event held by the nonprofit that publishes this website, where he was interviewed by Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward on topics ranging from media bias to intolerant liberals to the health benefits of smoking to the reason why the drug war is the dumbest thing imaginable. With the possible exception of Bill Maher.

Approximately 30 minutes. Warning for viewers prone to high-blood pressure, heart palpitations, and sour-puss syndrome: Gutfeld mixes humor, outrage and language salty enough to cure a side of bacon. Proceed at your own caution.

Downloadable audio podcast, iPod, and HD versions below.

The United States v. John Stagliano

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In April, the government indicted pornographer John Stagliano in a federal court in Washington, D.C. on multiple charges of obscenity for producing and distributing two fetish movies, Milk Nymphos and Storm Squirters 2: Target Practice, and a trailer for another porn collection. All appeared on his company's adult-only website, evilangel.com.

If convicted and sentenced to maximum jail time on each charge, Stagliano, one of the most popular, innovative, and award-winning XXX-rated movie kings in history, effectively faces a lifetime sentence. His next court date is scheduled for November, shortly after Election Day.

In April, reason.tv's Nick Gillespie talked with Stagliano in a candid, wide-ranging 20-minute conversation about the government's case against him and his defense strategy, the role that porn plays in the average viewer's life, how he came to his libertarian beliefs, how contracting HIV was the best thing that ever happened to him, his record of innovation in the adult-film world, and much, much more.

To listen of an audio podcast, go here.

To read a partial transcript of the interview, go here.

Who's Winning the War on Sex?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

reason.tv recently caught up with author Marty Klein to chat about his book America's War on Sex: The Attack on Law, Lust and Liberty.

"Our glorious Constitution," says Klein, a certified sex therapist and frequent expert witness in anti-censorship court cases, "guarantees us the widest range of right civilization has ever seen. Why are those rights systematically damaged and repealed when it comes to sexual expression?"

Approximately four-and-a-half minutes.

Grover Norquist: Leave Us Alone Already!

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Americans for Tax Reform honcho Grover Norquist recently sat down with reason.tv's Nick Gillespie for a 45-minute conversation about Norquist's new book Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands of Our Guns, Our Money, Our Lives.

From the book's description at Amazon:

The modern Republican party is a coalition of groups and tendencies created during the political life of Ronald Reagan, based on principle rather than region and history. The new political movement that now controls much of the Republican party is one of Americans who simply wish to be left alone by the government. They are not asking the government for others' money, time, or attention. Rather, they want to be free to own a gun, homeschool their children, pray, invest their money, and control their own destiny.
They are the Leave Us Alone coalition, at the heart of the center-right, and Grover Norquist argues that it will grow in power and size during the next generation. Directly opposed to this coalition is the descriptively titled Takings Coalition, which is at the heart of the tax-and-spend left, and they will battle for control of America's future over the next fifty years. It is increasingly important to better understand these coalitions than it is the Republican or Democratic parties themselves.
In a compelling and powerful narrative, Norquist describes the two competing coalitions in American politics, how they are organized, what makes them stronger or weaker. What each can achieve and what they cannot do. And how you may fit into the contest as well as gain a deeper understanding of American politics—where it's been, where it is and particularly where it will go—through a series of eye-opening economic, demographic, and political trends that will shape these coalitions in the years to come.

In this wide-ranging, in-depth discussion, Norquist talks about splits among libertarians and conservatives, the many failures of the Bush administration and the GOP Congress, his trouble with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the urgent need for reform in Social Security, health care, and education, and much, much more.

Pope Bashing

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:23:00 EDT

Back in 1992, Sinead O'Connor ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II on SNL to draw attention to sexual abuse in the Catholic church (what ever happened to her, anyway?).

Last week, Bill Maher let loose on the current pope. In addition to calling the Catholic Church the "Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia," Bill said that former Nazi soldier Pope Benedict XVI "used to be a Nazi."

Tune in to "Real Time with Bill Maher" on HBO tonight (or YouTube tomorrow) to hear him apologize.

Free the Jefferson 1!

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:43:00 EDT

Go here to learn more about the Jefferson 1, a silent midnight dance/birthday celebration at Washington, D.C.'s Jefferson Memorial that ended in arrest.

And click below to check out a local TV station's coverage of the incident:

Long-Arming the Libel Tourist

jsullum@reason.com (Jacob Sullum) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:06:00 EST

Last week the New York Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case that pits freedom of speech against British libel law. Israeli-American criminologist Rachel Ehrenfeld is challenging a libel judgment against her obtained by Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz, whom she identified in her 2003 book Funding Evil as a source of financial support for terrorism. Last June the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit allowed her lawsuit to proceed, but the case hinges to some extent on issues of state law, one of which the New York Court of Appeals is now considering: whether New York's "long arm" statute can reach a defendant such as Bin Mahfouz who is outside the U.S.

Calling Bin Mahfouz to account before a U.S. court seems only fair, given his strategy in trying to shut Ehrenfeld up. Although her book was published in the U.S., Bin Mahfouz sued her in London to take advantage of England's pro-plaintiff libel rules, which he has used to intimidate other critics into silence. The excuse for suing Ehrenfeld in the U.K. was that people there (possibly cronies of Bin Mahfouz) had bought 23 copies of the book online. In 2005 a British judge issued a default judgment against Ehrenfeld, ordering her to apologize, pay Bin Mahfouz about $230,000, and destroy all copies of her book. Jared Lapidus, a fellow at the Moving Picture Institute ("Promoting Freedom Through Film"), has produced an eight-minute documentary about the case, which the prominent civil libertarian (and reason contributor) Harvey Silverglate calls "one of the most important First Amendment cases of the past 25 years." Although Lapidus gets a little distracted by how awful the Saudis are, the video does communicate the dangers of libel tourism pretty well.

I mentioned the Ehrenfeld case on Hit & Run last month. Silverglate considered the implications in a 2006 Boston Globe op-ed piece co-authored by Samuel Abady. Katherine Mangu-Ward interviewed Rob Pfaltzgraff, the Moving Picture Institute's executive director, in the October issue of reason.

Everyone's Riding Him

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:08:00 EST

HOUSTON -- Coach Phil Jackson was reprimanded by the NBA, but not fined, and criticized by a national gay and lesbian group because of an off-color remark he made Tuesday night after the Lakers lost to San Antonio.

Jackson was trying to explain how the Lakers' defense kept allowing Spurs players to penetrate the lane and kick the ball out to teammates on the perimeter for open shots. The Spurs made an exemplary 13 of 27 shots from three-point range in their 107-92 victory.

"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game because there's so much penetration and kick-outs," Jackson said. "It was one of those games."

The Oscar-winning movie portrayed two cowboys who hid a homosexual affair.

"The remarks are in poor taste, and the Lakers have assured us such remarks will not occur in the future," NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said.

Jackson also drew a rebuke in a statement issued by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

"Phil Jackson's been coaching long enough that he should be able to talk about the Lakers' performance without resorting to cheap gay jokes," the group said in the statement.

Jackson apologized, in his own way.

"It's poor humor," Jackson said. "I deserve to be reprimanded by the NBA. If I've offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I apologize."

LAT article here; click above for Jackson's response.

This story has produced some winners--mainly comedians who now have a legitimate reason to dust off their 'Brokeback' material.