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Girls, Guns, and The Problem with DC Firearm Laws

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"Gun ownership goes up, crime goes down...that's how it works," explains Washington Times senior editor and recent gun owner Emily Miller.

After being the victim of a home invasion, Miller was determined to take advantage of the 2008 Supreme Court ruling striking down Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban. Miller initially thought the process of purchasing a firearm "would just be a hassle for a couple of weeks," and decided to blog her experiences at washingtontimes.com. After four months, countless headaches, and hundreds of dollars in fees, Miller is now legally able to own her Sig Sauer P229 9mm, so long as she keeps it in her home.

Miller joined Kennedy at Sharp Shooters in Lorton, VA to discuss DC's Byzantine gun laws, the surge in female gun ownership, and how she choose her firearm.

About 3 minutes.

Interview by Kennedy. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Joshua Swain; edited by Bragg.

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Teachers Union and NAACP Sue NY Charter School: An Update on Bob Bowdon's Choice Media TV

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"The teachers union in New York City got together with the NAACP and sued to essentially kick charter schools out of buildings," says Bob Bowdon, founder of education reform homepage Choice Media TV.

Bowdon talks about the implications of this lawsuit and also about other education stories that his team has covered. He discusses one report addressing the racial achievement gap in Seattle, in which black kids from Africa performed better academically than black kids from America.

"This kind of data was shocking to see," Bowdon says. "In this scenario it's not about race it's about culture, and what it essentially showed is that culture matters."

Bowdon also talks about his transition to new media and its advantages in today's journalism industry.

About 5 minutes. Produced by Tracy Oppenheimer; Shot by Sharif Matar.

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Radley Balko talks HuffPo, Nashville, OWS, & Cory Maye

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST

"A story like the Cory Maye story is why you become a journalist," says former Reason staffer Radley Balko. "It's probably the most rewarding thing I'll ever do.” In 2006, Balko first reported on Cory Maye, a Mississippi man given a death sentence for shooting a police officer who was leading a no-knock raid on his apartment. Balko's continued coverage of the case, and the shakey testimony of expert witnesses, eventually led to Maye being released not just from Death Row but prison altogether. (For Balko's Reason archive, go here.)

Reason.tv caught up with Balko in Nashville, where he's been writing for the Huffington Post since May and helming The Nashville Byline, a blog that covers news and events in the Music City. He also continues to run The Agitator, his popular personal site.

In a wide-raning conversation, Balko discusses what working at the HuffPo is like, how Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring protesters are using social media to make government more transparent than ever, and why Nashville nannies sometime push restaurant owners into serving hard liquor rather than beer.

About 4 minutes long. Shot by Anthony Fisher and Joshua Swain; edited by Swain.

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Mike Riggs Discusses Miley Cyrus Supporting OWS And The Latest Cain Sex-Scandel on Alyona's Happy Hour

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Mike Riggs appeared on the Alyona Show's Happy Hour to discuss The Office's Dunder Mifflin paper products by Staples, the Kansas teen who wouldn't apologize to Govenor Brownback after her tweet, Miley Cyrus's new song supporting Occupy Wall Street, and the latest Herman Cain sex-scandel.

Airdate: November 28, 2011.

7.34 minutes.

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Bob Bowdon: What's Next for School Choice - and New Media

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EDT

At July's FreedomFest in Las Vegas, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Bob Bowdon, director of the explosive school-choice film The Cartel.

Bowdon's new venture is Choicemedia.tv, an investigative video website dedicated to education reform "the way ESPN is dedicated to sports or Bloomberg to finance," says Bowdon. The news service will launch in early September and will focus not just on stories of waste, fraud, and abuse but upbeat stories of innovation and success. Bowdon argues that new media is the best way to tell the stories about the ways in which the old education establishment is being upended by forces of choice and competition.

Shot by Jim Epstein and Zach Weissmueller and edited by Anthony L. Fisher.

About 5 minutes long.

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Held every July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is an annual gathering of about 2,000 free-market and libertarian enthusiasts. This year's speakers included Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, Sen. Rand Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, and scores of others. Reason.tv conducted interviews with more than two dozen speakers, which we'll be releasing over the next several weeks. Our growing playlist can be watched online here.

Jacob G. Hornberger on Obama, Foreign Policy, and Civil Liberties

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:30:00 EDT

At FreedomFest in July, Reason's Matt Welch talked with Jacob G. Hornberger, founder of The Future of Freedom Foundation. Hornberger explains why he thinks that Obama is no better than Bush when it comes to foreign policy and civil liberties. He explains why libertarians should help shape the debate and why there has never been a better time to make that argument.

Shot by Zach Weissmueller and Jim Epstein. Edited by Sharif Matar. About 2.30 minutes.

Held each July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is attended by around 2,000 limited-government enthusiasts and libertarians a year. Reason.tv spoke with over two dozen speakers and attendees and will be releasing interviews over the coming weeks.

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Remy Munasifi and Meredith Bragg Talk about Creating "Raise The Debt Ceiling Rap"

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Remy Munasifi and Meredith Bragg of Reason.tv talk to local news station DC WUSA 9 about creating their viral hit "Raise The Debt Ceiling Rap". Airdate: July 27, 2011.

Approximately 1.52 minutes.

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Remy Munasifi Talks about "Raise The Debt Ceiling Rap" on CNN's News Room

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Remy Munasifi talked with CNN's News Room about creating the "Raise The Debt Ceiling Rap" and it's rise in popularity. Airdate: July 27, 2011.

Approximately 2.55 minutes.

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Hot Air's Ed Morrissey on Not-So-Radical Republicans and Life Outside the Beltway

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Along with the anonymous "Allahpundit," Ed Morrissey is the key to the success of Hot Air, one of the biggest commentary and video sites on the glorious system of tubes we call the Internet. Day in and day out, Morrissey, who also hosts a web radio show and has recently started writing for The Week, weighs in on politics and culture from a center-right POV that is, he says, is getting more and libertarian out of deference to reality.

An L.A. ex-pat who landed in Minneapolis, Morrissey's rise to blog stardom exemplifies how new media has leveled the playing field and given everyone a shot at an audience. Earlier in the decade, Morrissey was working as the manager of a call center when he started the blog Captain's Quarters. The success of that site—he was even named The Week's "Blogger of the Year" a few years back—led to a contract with the experimental Blog Talk Radio and, in 2008, the Hot Air gig. Morrissey still dials in from the Midwest, a location he says gives him a different perspective than many commentators in the BosWash corridor.

Morrissey recently talked to Reason's Nick Gillespie while visiting Washington, D.C.

Approximately 8 minutes. Filmed by Jim Epstein and Joshua Swain. Edited by Swain.

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Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses UK Plans to Censor Pornographic Websites on Russia Today

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward appears on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to discuss the British government's plans to regulate Internet pornography in the name of child protection and how critics challenge the regulation as censorship. Airdate: December 20, 2010.

About 8 minutes.

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From Ayn Rand to the iPod: Chris Lehmann on "Rich People Things"

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

What do TARP, Wired Magazine, The New York Times, David Brooks, Ayn Rand, Alan Greenspan, Malcolm Gladwell, and libertarianism have in common? They're all "rich people things," according to journalist Chris Lehmann, a veteran of Mother Jones, In These Times, Tikkun, New York magazine, and The Washington Post.

In his engaging new book of essays, drawn from his contributions to The Awl, Lehmann explains why what he calls the "airless dogma" of Rand, the "hollow...comic sociology" of Brooks, and other excresences of wealth suck. Lehmann skewers the iPad: In his view, the hype surrounding Apple products helps the company distract consumers from its practice of outsourcing youth-destroying tasks to Chinese factories staffed by workers living in cockroach-infested dormitories.

Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with Lehmann, who has contributed to Reason, to talk about his collection and to ask how "rich people things" like the Democratic Party and Michelle Obama's vacation fit into his worldview. Among the surprises: Lehmann grants that Ayn Rand's popularity remains an interesting phenomenon, that the left is all but dead, and that libertarianism is a vital force in America today.

Approximately 7.26 minutes. Shot by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg. Edited by Josh Swain.

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Steven Greenhut on Public Employee Paychecks, Perks and Plunder

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:54:00 EDT

Steven Greenhut, Editor in Chief of CalWatchdog.com and author of the new book, Plunder! How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to discuss the widening gap between public and private sector employment.

Approximately 9 minutes. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Edited by Austin Bragg.

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Boing Boing Founder Mark Frauenfelder on DIY, Mistakes, and Unschooling

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EDT

Mark Frauenfelder, is editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine, founder of the collaborative weblog Boing Boing, and author of the book Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World. He sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to discuss cigar box guitars, the value of mistakes, and what the Do-It-Yourself movement can teach us about education.

Approximately 9 minutes. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Edited by Austin Bragg.

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Cory Doctorow on The War on Kids, Boing Boing, & His Next Novel

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EDT

As one of the editors of Boing Boing, Cory Doctorow runs one of the best-known blogs on the planet. As the author of best-selling young-adult novels such as Little Brother and the new For The Win, he has his pulse on what it is like to be growing up in the 21st century. As a writer who simultaneously publishes his work online for free and via a traditional bookseller (Tor), he is at the bleeding edge of creating what he calls 21st century art: "contemporary art that is made to be copied."

In July Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie talked with Doctorow about raising free-range children, the future of copyright, and what makes Boing Boing tick.

Approximately 5.26 minutes. Shot by Gillespie and edited by Josh Swain.

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Sign Up For Reason's First-Ever Cruise, February 2010, Featuring Matt Ridley & Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Jacob Sullum & Ron Bailey

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:38:00 EDT

Regular readers of this site and subscribers to the print edition of Reason already know that we're shoving off on our first-ever cruise in February 2011. Get more shiver-yer-timbers details here.

Among the Reason staffers who have already been shanghaiied into participating are Matt Welch, Jacob Sullum, Ron Bailey, and Nick Gillespie.

Our special guest stars include best-selling author Matt Ridley, whose latest tome is The Rational Optimist, and Patri Friedman, the visionary behind The Seasteading Institute. More speakers will be announced soon...

Here's what you'll get on the Reason cruise:

Moderated panel sessions featuring Reason editors and guest speakers, along with plenty of discussion.

Special additional sessions hosted by our cruise partner, The Seasteading Institute.

Many chances to meet and spend time with our editors and special guest speakers.

Exclusive parties and dining with our editors and guest speakers. You will dine with your fellow Reason cruise attendees, so that you have the chance to meet many of your fellow freedom lovers.

Admission to Reason seminars and ad-hoc sessions

Admission to numerous Reason cruise private cocktail receptions.

Admission to Reason group excursions.

Port charges, taxes, fuel surcharges, and government fees.

Accommodations and all meals.

We set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 30 next year and return, god willing, February 6, after visiting exotic ports of call in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Antilles. We'll be shipping out on Celebrity Cruise's Solstice, a big mother of a ship every bit as unsinkable as the Titanic and James Cameron's career put together. Double occupancy cabins start at around $1,500 per person and spaces are limited.

So come aboard, we're expecting you! Click through for details or go to ReasonCruise.com!

3 Reasons The FCC Shouldn't Touch The Internets!

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EDT

The FCC has just taken initial steps to regulate the Internet service providers the same way it regulates telephone companies. Although Chairman Julius Genachowski has said he would use any regulatory powers with a "light touch," having the FCC control any aspect of the Internet is a really bad idea for at least three reasons.

Written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie (who also hosts). Approximately 2.15 minutes.

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FCC Commissioner Copps "Would Love to Have Jurisdiction Over Everything."

Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

What's the proper role of the FCC? According to Jennifer Schneider, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps' Legal Adviser, her boss would "love to have jurisdiction over everything." She let the cat out of the bag at the NCTA's 2010 Cable Show last week:

Here's the transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

"Well, I think Commissioner Copps would love to have jurisdiction over everything (laughter)....but he knows that's not really what the FCC is here for. Right now we're focusing on this Title I/Title II issue. When it comes to the Internet, and what rides over the Internet, we understand that it's still young. The industry is still trying to find business models that work. And we certainly don't want to interfere with that. Ultimately, though, the concern is with the consumer, so if/when things move along and there are issues, which I can't imagine happening anytime soon, someone will have to step in and I guess we'll have to wait and see if [it's] the FCC or some other agency or who knows..."

Visit Reason.com for more information.

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Approx. 75 seconds

A Delicious Free Enterprise Video Contest Entry

Tue, 25 May 2010 03:00:00 EDT

"A Delicious Free Enterprise Contest Entry," directed by Reason.tv's Meredith Bragg, is a finalists for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's "I Am Free Enterprise" video contest. The winner of the $50,000 grand prize will be determined through online voting. You can vote and view the other finalists here every day until June 2nd.

Be sure to check out Tracy Foster's entry , which Reason.tv producer Dan Hayes helped craft.

Directed by Reason.tv producer Meredith Bragg. Featuring Jill Erber of Cheesetique , Rhoda Worku of Caboose Cafe and Bakery, and Steve Gatward of Let's Meat on the Avenue . Shot in Delray, Alexandria VA. Approx. 1:50.

Submission to EPA Video Contest Rulemaking Matters!: Subtitled For Your Protection!

Mon, 17 May 2010 19:30:00 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency's "Rulemaking Matters!" contest invites filmmakers to submit short videos that explain how federal regulations touch our lives. The best video wins $2,500!

Presenting reason.tv's submission: "Rulemaking Matters!"

Written and produced by Meredith Bragg.

Approximately 90 seconds long.

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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.

Life, Liberty & Viticulture: Bryan Babcock on winemaking, Patrick Henry, & Ayn Rand

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Bryan Babcock is a cutting-edge winemaker named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the "Ten Best Winemakers of the Year" and voted "Most Courageous Winemaker of the Year." Part of his bold and daring reputation stems from his outspoken embrace of liberty and the ideas put forth by Ayn Rand.

"I don't walk around thinking about Ayn Rand, John Galt, or Atlas Shrugged every second of the day, thinking about how I can make this [vineyard] be like Galt's Gulch. But if it was Galt's Gulch, the government would not be permitted to take one step on the property," says Babcock. "John Galt is the guy in fiction that Patrick Henry [was in] real life....And the world needs a few of those. The world needs an Atlas to hold up the globe. The world needs a John Galt or a Patrick Henry to say, 'Freedom is a good thing, man needs freedom, we've got to be free.'"

Approximately 10 minutes. Babcock was interviewed by David Nott. The segment was filmed and edited by Alex Manning. Production assistants were Seth Goldin and Ryan Seals.

This video is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

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Jason Talley and Pete Eyre's Excellent Adventure

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Here's a heart-warming scene from today's America: Two liberty-loving, new-media-savvy lads, Jason Talley of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and Pete Eyre, have left Washington, D.C. in an RV to tool around America and tell tales of freedom and oppression. Driving north to New Hampshire, they'll be heading west and lighting out for Los Angeles. And then they'll head back east.

Tally and Eyre are blogging, tweeting, and YouTubing their adventures and encounters along the way at Motorhomediaries.com.

Shortly before this latter-day, Rothbard-grokking Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarity hit the road, they sat down and talked with Reason.tv about their trip. And how they plan to avoid the apocalyptic outcomes of RV movies such as Race with the Devil and Lost in America.

Approximately seven minutes. Interview by Nick Gillespie; shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg; edited by Dan Hayes.

	Moderated panel sessions featuring Reason editors and guest speakers, along with plenty of discussion.
	Special additional sessions hosted by our cruise partner, The Seasteading Institute.
	Many chances to meet and spend time with our editors and special guest speakers.
	Exclusive parties and dining with our editors and guest speakers. You will dine with your fellow Reason cruise attendees, so that you have the chance to meet many of your fellow freedom lovers.
	Admission to Reason seminars and ad-hoc sessions
	Admission to numerous Reason cruise private cocktail receptions.
	Admission to Reason group excursions.
	Port charges, taxes, fuel surcharges, and government fees.
	Accommodations and all meals.