Guest: Scott Horton - How Ruby Ridge Became the Blueprint for Turning Americans Into Domestic Terrorists

On this week’s episode of the Free Thought Project Podcast, Jason and Matt welcome back one of our most respected and returning guests, Scott Horton, for the third time. Scott is the director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, and the host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California. He's also a prolific author with several must-read books, including Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism and Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. His work is pivotal in educating and mobilizing countless individuals in the pursuit of peace and liberty.
In this episode, we commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the Ruby Ridge standoff—a dark chapter in American history where the government unleashed deadly force on a family simply trying to live off the grid. Scott gives us a detailed history of the event, followed by an exploration of how Ruby Ridge became the blueprint for the Waco siege and the tragedy of the Branch Davidians. But Scott doesn't stop there—he ties these historical events into a broader narrative, showing how the government has perfected its playbook of turning ordinary Americans into "domestic terrorists" through propaganda and setups.
From there, Scott connects the dots between these domestic tragedies and American foreign policy. He draws chilling parallels between the state’s tactics at Ruby Ridge and Waco and the actions of Israel in Gaza, where he argues that the Israeli government carries out the equivalent of 20 Ruby Ridges a day. Scott paints a vivid picture of how the military-industrial complex employs this same playbook of deception and violence across the globe to provoke and perpetuate foreign conflicts.
This episode is a sobering yet enlightening discussion that ties together historical events, current policies, and global conflicts, all through the lens of state violence and propaganda. Don't miss it! (Length: 1:11:09)

Scott on Twitter: https://x.com/scotthortonshow
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B074V91F35
Interviews: https://scotthorton.org/archives/
Support: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/