Archive | January, 2015

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Counterpunch: Americans’ Fatal Freedom Apathy

 COUNTERPUNCH, January 28, 2015 Surrendering Liberty America’s Fatal Freedom Apathy by JAMES BOVARD According to our civic folklore, Americans are more devoted to freedom than any other nationality on earth.   But it is increasingly appears that this dogma is a relic of bygone times. A Gallup poll last July asked a thousand Americans: “Are you […]

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My Path-Breaking Work at the Harvard Business School

The Northeast is getting whacked by a blizzard, bringing back memories of one of my favorite gigs when I lived in Boston in the late 1970s.  Following is an excerpt from the Public Policy Hooligan chapter on “Playing Left Field in Boston.”  That chapter begins, “My 1977 move to Boston was akin to the Beverly […]

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That State of the Union Political Fantasyland

My carpings from Twitter — @jimbovard Has there been an honest State of the Union #SOTU address since Grover Cleveland left office? — James Bovard (@JimBovard) January 21, 2015   #SOTU Obama’s pledge to "properly constrain" drones proves that he was targeting clueless viewers who cannot politically add 2 & 2 — James Bovard (@JimBovard) […]

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FFF: Americans’ Fading Love of Freedom

Future of Freedom Foundation, October 2014 issue of Future of Freedom AMERICANS’ FADING LOVE OF FREEDOM by James Bovard Tea Party protesters, some Republicans, and many libertarians perceive the federal government as a vast engine of oppression. But are anti-Obama activists mistaken in presuming that most Americans still care about freedom? A Gallup poll released […]

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Wash. Times: No Halo for Holder on Forfeiture Reform

Washington Times, January 20, 2015 No halo for Holder on forfeiture fix The top lawman who condemns seizures previously championed them By James Bovard Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced on Friday that the Justice Department would cease sharing confiscated private property with state and local police agencies under its Equitable Sharing program. Asset […]

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Supreme Court Takes Raisin Robbery Property Rights Case

The Supreme Court accepted today a case in which California farmers challenge USDA’s right to confiscate their raisins.  The Court’s decision is a defeat for the Justice Department, which argued that the Supremes should let stand a bizarre Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that would have nullified a swath of the Fifth Amendment. I tub-thumped […]

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Counterpunch: Obama’s Sordid Record on Censorship and Secrecy

Counterpunch, January 14, 2015 Blindfolding the Republic Obama’s Sordid Record on Censorship and Secrecy by JAMES BOVARD Republicans are condemning President Obama’s failure to attend the Charlie Hebdo march in Paris as if his omission was the equivalent of a hate crime. Rep. Randy Weber (R-Tx) took the cake with a bizarre tweet complaining that […]

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