Adam Kokesh: The YAL Interview

Adam Kokesh

I had the chance recently to sit down with anti-war activist and revolutionary patriot Adam Kokesh to discuss the war, revolution, and the future of the Republican Party...

Q: Eight years on and after scores of campaign promises, the war in Afghanistan is escalating and Iraq remains very unstable. How is the president doing and what are the implications of the wars for the 2010 mid-terms?

Obama's platform went through a lot of “change” throughout the campaign, as is typical of politicians who lack moral grounding for their policies. He went from the peace candidate to the “good war” candidate, but we know there is no such thing as a good war. He is continuing the failed policies of the Bush administration, and doing so on an even larger scale. The anti-war movement won the battle of public opinion well before the 2008 elections, but in 2010, they will be clamoring for principled leadership over partisan rhetoric.

Q: We often talk about the Ron Paul campaign as a watershed moment for the freedom movement. Do you agree and how do you assess the state of the "R3VOLution" now and in the next couple of years?

Absolutely! What Ron Paul did was take the message of liberty, an idea whose time has long come, and use the political process to take it to a wider audience and in doing so, led the transition from an intellectual movement to a political one. Now, we have the challenge of taking the enthusiasm of the campaign and using it to develop sustainable networks that can make the ideas manifest in American political reality.

Q: You have been very critical of the Republican Party. What needs to happen within the GOP for them to be a force for reform and return to Constitutional principles?

The answer is in the question: All we have to do to become a force for reform is to return to Constitutional principles!

Q: How do you see the role of YAL and other youth freedom activities around the country? What can folks do to have an impact on American politics?

YAL is critical for the r3VOLution to have a presence on American campuses. There is something very exciting about our generation becoming old enough to be powerfully engaged in politics because we are the first one that grew up with the truth button one click away, right there on the internet. You can lie to us, but not for very long! This is going to be a serious game changer, and the establishment doesn't see it coming and those of us who do have no idea how it will manifest, but that's what makes it so exciting. There are so many possibilities for getting involved, as long as we remember that the ultimate goal is freeing minds, because we are only as free as the people around us agree that we are free, do not aggress against us, and do not tolerate aggression against us.

Q: You are running for congress from New Mexico. Why do you think that this is a more effective role for you, as a leader, than the kind of activism we have seen with Iraq Veterans Against the War?

Single issue activism is a great way to raise awareness and change public sentiment to an issue. But it does little good when our elected officials feel that they are above responding to the public because we don't hold them accountable. It's time for that to change.

Good interview. I wish Adam the best of luck in his campaign.

Spelling Correction: R3OLution needs to be R3VOLution

Submitted by Alex Mullins (not verified) on July 15, 2009.

I agree, good interview. It is relieving to see the next generation stretch its head out of the grey masses. Ron Paul made an awesome appearance on the political stage, but let's face it, a successor must be found soon, and I hope there will be many of them.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on July 16, 2009.

Great interview! It's going to be amazing to have Adam at the YAL national convention as well.