The Tom Woods Show

We've been raised to think of the state as a social service agency, or as the institution through which we govern ourselves, or any of a variety of comforting myths about what the state really is. In this episode we drop the cutesy propaganda and get down to reality.

To make a long story short: with the apparent blessing of the chair of the national party, the chair of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire purged her executive committee, replaced it largely with people who had been defeated at the previous convention, and absconded with the social media accounts and donor data. Even if you don't agree with people, you don't/can't do this, and of course it only shows that opposition to the status quo in the party has grown so strong that only by cheating can they cope with it. Caryn Ann Harlos, secretary of the Libertarian National Committee, joins me to discuss what's going on.

Mark Skousen has published a successful investment newsletter, Forecasts & Strategies, for over 40 years. I ask him the kind of questions I myself want answered, and then we move on to (if you can believe it) some good news.

In this episode I review the COVID craziness with the UK's James Delingpole. We also discuss where certain libertarians might have done a teensy bit better on this issue, and a bunch of other things. This episode is taken from my appearance on , the podcast of James Delingpole.

Marco Bassani joins us again to discuss the two competing theories of what the United States is/are/was/were, and why this matters to us even today. Sponsor: Save yourself the time and hassle of going to the Post Office, and get discounts on postage, with . Get a four-week free trial plus free postage and a digital scale when you go to Stamps.com, click on the microphone at the top right of the screen, and type code WOODS.

Marco Bassani of the University of Milan discusses the debate over the Constitution and what was really at stake.

Another potpourri discussion with historian Brion McClanahan, in which (among other things) we discuss barbarians who demand that the names of people the regime disapproves of need to be removed from this or that. Sponsor: We the People Holsters are custom molded to fit your exact firearm for a quick, smooth draw. With thousands of options to choose from plus a selection of custom printed holsters you're sure to find just the right fit for your lifestyle. Take $10 off with code woods10 at

The great historian Brion McClanahan joins me once again for some random but (if I may say so) darn good questions, including the perennial "favorite (or least bad) presidents" one.

Brion McClanahan and I discuss the ideas of Thomas Jefferson that the political and academic classes despite.

Everyone except CNN and MSNBC is talking about the recently released pile of Dr. Fauci emails, obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request. I talk about what stands out to me.

Vijay Boyapati, who left his job with Google to support the Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign, just released an excellent new book, which can be appreciated by the novice and advanced student alike, laying out the prospects for Bitcoin and addressing common concerns. I throw a lot of layman questions at him in this episode.

Paul Kengor, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism, joins me to discuss the crimes of communism, why people don't know about them, the "that wasn't real communism" argument, and a lot more. Sponsor: We the People Holsters are custom molded to fit your exact firearm for a quick, smooth draw. With thousands of options to choose from plus a selection of custom printed holsters you're sure to find just the right fit for your lifestyle. Take $10 off with code woods10 at

Here's the specific, step-by-step answer to the claim that "deregulation" caused the financial crisis of 2008. Sponsor: CoinBits App is an ingenious way to make investing in Bitcoin easy and painless, both technically and financially. Automatically round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and automatically invest the difference in Bitcoin. Check it out at

We don't want to live in a world in which our kids grow up believing that Dr. Fauci and his interventions saved the world, but that's what can happen if a false narrative takes root. Likewise, if people think "deregulation" caused the last financial crisis, that's going to lead people to make dumb decisions in the future. So we're going into detail on this, to smash it once and for all.

Donald Devine joins me for a series of warnings, intended for left and right alike, about using government to transform society according to your preferred pattern.

Michael Malice's latest book, The Anarchist Handbook, made it all the way to #1 among nonfiction books on Amazon. He accomplished this feat with no publisher, no marketing department, and not even a book launch. This is worth talking about.

I've known Jeff Shipley since the 2008 Ron Paul days. He's been keeping the flame of liberty alive in the Iowa state legislature for years. He's made some predictable enemies and some unlikely friends, so we're checking in on how it's going.

Bill Buckley once said, "I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the telephone directory than by the Harvard University faculty." Kathryn Huwig joins me to discuss the state of COVID, and this idea hovers over the whole discussion.

Marco Bassani of the University of Milan joins me to discuss the idea of the modern state -- centralized, one and indivisible, exercising a monopoly on violence over its territory, with no subdivisions having rights of their own that trump those of the central state. We also discuss an incident at his university that will sound sadly familiar to American listeners.

The outspoken Rep. Anthony Sabatini -- who was more anti-lockdown than Ron DeSantis, who favors marijuana legalization, and -- is arguably the most notorious member of the Florida legislature, and he talks with me about 2020, what DeSantis should do next, what happens when you cross the GOP leadership, and more. Sponsor: CoinBits App is an ingenious way to make investing in Bitcoin easy and painless, both technically and financially. Automatically round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and automatically invest the difference in Bitcoin. Check it out at