Archive for April 2007
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Monday 30th April 2007
Happy “Mission Accomplished” Anniversary
8:22 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Bush | Iraq | Comments: 33
Today (May 1) is the fourth anniversary of one of the most dishonest propaganda speeches in modern American history.
President Bush did his flight suit strut on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in front of a banner proclaiming “Mission Accomplished.”
Bush proclaimed, “With new tactics and precision weapons, we can achieve military objectives without directing [...]
Wednesday 25th April 2007
How the Sniveling Media Paved the Road to War
9:42 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Bush | wool | Comments: 47
Bill Moyers Journal on PBS tonight had a great program on how media groveling to Bush administration falsehoods and absurdities helped lead to the Iraq war.
The program focused on the villains and bootlickers in the press. It also contained interviews with some of the courageous reporters - such as Warren Stroebel and Jonathan Landay of Knight Ridder [...]
Now Online - Radio Interview with Antiwar’s Scott Horton
8:48 am | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Bush | Congress | dictatorship | Comments: 4
Antiwar.com’s Scott Horton interviewed me yesterday about the American Conservative article on how Congress rubberstamped martial law.
As always, talking with Scott revived my idealism.
The mp3/audio file can be listened to or downloaded here.
Tuesday 24th April 2007
Szasz Tromps The Latest Psychiatric Idiocy
8:40 am | Bovard | Comments: 7
The heroic Tom Szasz has an excellent piece today on the Foundation for Economic Education website trouncing the mass “lock ‘em up” reflex to the Virginia Tech shootings.
It is a helluva thing when the “experts” respond to a government’s prohibition of self-defense (Va. Tech was a proud gun-free zone, except for cops & mass killers) to [...]
Monday 23rd April 2007
The Martial Law Act of 2007
2:40 pm | Bovard | Bush | Congress | dictatorship | Comments: 21
Congress rubberstamped martial law.
The American Conservative posted online my article on how Congress rolled out the red carpet for martial law. This piece vivifies how neither party in Washington gives a darn about the risks of dictatorship in America.
American Conservative April 23, 2007
Working for the Clampdown
What might the president do with his new power to declare martial [...]
Thursday 19th April 2007
Waco, R.I.P.
12:55 pm | Bovard | Congress | Justice Department | Comments: 21
Today is the 14th anniversary of the FBI’s finale at Waco.
This was the day that 80 civilians died as a result of a tank-and-toxic gas assault. I thought Waco might be the most important public education lesson of the 1990s, but it seems to have had scant impact.
Most Americans forgot or never undertstood Waco, paving the way [...]
Tuesday 17th April 2007
A Playful Flashback on Shafting Taxpayers
8:49 am | Uncategorized | Comments: 9
Tax Day has always been special for me. The following is a piece I wrote back in the waning days fo the Reagan administration to spur positive thinking on the IRS and Uncle Sam.
The New York Times April 13, 1988
HEADLINE: Your Tax Dollars At Work And Play
BYLINE: By James Bovard
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
Congratulations. You probably are about to make your [...]
Monday 16th April 2007
Condolences to everyone at Virginia Tech & their families
5:12 pm | Bovard | Comments: 11
The shooting today at Virginia Tech is dreadful news. I have fond memories of the time I spent at Tech and of the fine folks there. Blacksburg is (was?) one of the most idyllic college towns in the nation. .
I want to extend my condolences to the families and friends of the people shot today.
I just finished [...]
Friday 6th April 2007
Government Lies vs. Self-Government
1:28 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Lying | dictatorship | Comments: 21
Responding to implacable demands from central Europe, the Future of Freedom Foundation today finally posted online the full text of my piece on Hungarian Lies and American Lessons.
Hungarians are still steaming about the government’s lies in last year’s elections, but most Americans appear to have forgotten Bush’s verbal frauds from the campaign trail last October. Perhaps [...]
Wednesday 4th April 2007
Ernie Hancock Radio Interview Now Online
2:41 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | dictatorship | lese majeste | Comments: 1
Ernie Hancock, the mastermind of FreedomsPhoenix, now has an MP3 online of the interview we did on Sunday night. The link to the audio clip is at the bottom of this page.
It is a long file (16 megs), so folks with dial-up be warned.
The first part of the show is Ernie’s interview with Jim Lesczynski, the chief [...]
Monday 2nd April 2007
Libertarian Paternalism Hokum
9:17 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Rule of Law | dictatorship | Comments: 16
A New York Times book review yesterday snidely commented that libertarianism was past its time - and that “libertarian paternalism” is the wave of the future.
Cass Sunstein was one of the proponents of “libertarian paternalism” invoked by the reviewer.
The notion of “libertarian paternalism” evokes sentiments not fit for a family-friendly blog like this one.
Sunstein has come [...]
Sunday 1st April 2007
LISTEN LIVE INTERNET -Air America Phoenix -Sunday (4/01) 7 pm Eastern
2:18 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Elective Dictatorship | Comments: 7
I will be on the Ernie Hancock Show this evening from about 7:15 to 8 pm. We will be discussing Ron Paul’s presidential campaign. Ernie’s program is named “Declare Your Independence.” He warned me that he will be on guard tonight against my moderate tendencies. Ernie has more details on this pending show here.
You can [...]