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Wednesday 21st April 2010

My Culpability for the Oklahoma City Bombing

I almost forgot my role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
No - I’ve never been to Oklahoma.
But a 1999 Los Angeles Times review of one of my books made similar points to what Bill Clinton made in his New York Times op-ed on Monday. The reviewer, Anthony Day, was horrified at my rejection [...]

Thursday 15th April 2010

Podcast of Census-Bashing Interview on Free Talk Live

Mark Edge of Free Talk Live interviewed me yesterday on the Census, government surveillance, and other perils of our times.
The podcast is here. My interview is the final 20 minutes of the 2+ hour program.
I did not see the interview listed as a separate downloadable file. If I missed something [...]

Sunday 7th March 2010

My Brief State Department Career

8:19 pm | Bovard | Uncategorized | Comments: 3

It lasted about 60 minutes. 75 minutes, max.
The photo is from late 1988 or early 1989. The State Department had a program that brought in some outside speaker once a month. I was there to whup up on the World Bank, a favorite target of mine in those years.
The [...]

Friday 5th March 2010

The Material Witness Ticket to Servitude

The Future of Freedom Foundation put online my article from the December Freedom Daily….
It’s amazing to see what kind of legal crap the government gets away with these days.
The Material Witness Charade Freedom Daily, December 2009
by James Bovard
Last September, a federal appeals court ruled that former [...]

Friday 15th January 2010

Bogus Anti-Terrorist Crackdown on Financial Freedom

posted today by the Future of Freedom Foundation - from the October 2009 issue of Freedom Daily…
The Bogus Anti-Terrorist Crackdown on Financial Freedom
by James Bovard
In the postâ€“9/11 era, federal officials are treating cash as they would a suspected weapon of mass destruction. They have created legions of new restrictions and reporting requirements for citizensâ€™ money. [...]

Friday 1st January 2010

Thanks to All the Fine Commentors in 2009!

10:32 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Comments: 11

I want to thank the folks who added so many excellent thoughts and flashes of wit to this blog over the past 12 months. I’ve gotten a heap of insights from y’all! And it is fun to share the revelry when bad guys crash and burn, or when some federal agency has [...]

Monday 14th December 2009

The Great Beer Massacre of 2009!

9:42 pm | Bovard | Uncategorized | Comments: 13

My all-time favorite beer is no longer being imported!
I have been a huge fan of Dinkel Acker, a wonderful German pilsner, for more than a decade. I would buy cases at a time, making it worthwhile to scamper across the Potomac to a state with civilized beer buying laws. (Montgomery County, Maryland, [...]

Tuesday 8th December 2009

Boy Scouts & a Pro-Freedom Reaction

7:42 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Uncategorized | Comments: 4

I appreciate the comments on the creek-crossing photo.
The Boy Scouts of America begin their 100th anniversary celebration on December 10, and I’m curious about the political impact of the Scouting experience.
I am wondering how many guys who were in the Scouts became more pro-freedom in response to the heavy-handed invocations of authority and [...]

Wednesday 2nd December 2009

John Brown: One Terrorist Who Deserved Hanging

8:38 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Comments: 12

This is the 150th anniversary of the hanging of John Brown. When he attacked Harper’s Ferry with a handful of followers, the butcher of Kansas helped sow the seeds of the Civil War. Few things would have made Brown happier than the thought of hundreds of thousands of people dying for [...]

Thursday 5th November 2009

The Media as Enablers of Government Lies

Posted online today…
The Media as Enablers of Government Lies Freedom Daily August 2009
by James Bovard
Why do politicians so easily get away with telling lies? In large part, because the news media are more interested in bonding with politicians [...]

Friday 30th October 2009

Shocking! 400 Members of Congress Not Suspected of Wrongdoing

An online “security breach” yesterday disclosed a confidential House Ethics Committee document which revealed that dozens of members of Congress are under investigation for ethical lapses - i.e., being crooks, weasels, etc.
That means that more than 400 members are not being actively investigated by their peers for wrongdoing or all-round conniving.
This is the [...]

Thursday 22nd October 2009

Karzai Gets 2nd Chance to Steal the Election

So what am I missing in Afghanistan?
Isn’t this like catching a really dumb bank robber in the act (stealing almost a million votes) - and then, instead of booking him on charges, giving him another chance to rob the same bank?
The U.S. government and NATO are going to let Karzai take another swing at [...]

On Fox News “Freedom Watch” Friday (10/23) at @ 12:15 pm

Fox News’ Judge Napolitano interviewed me today regarding how the Patriot Act allows the feds to plunder the cash of innocent Americans. This is a damned outrage that Congress is definitely not fixing with the current Patriot Act “reform” legislation.
You can watch the program online here tomorrow (Friday). It airs between [...]

Tuesday 20th October 2009

Where do we Report the Terrorist Cops???

The Los Angeles Police Department has a new video out encouraging people to run squealing to the police practically every time some stranger asks directions to City Hall.
This is part of an orchestrated effort to keep people jumpy and clamoring for government to save them.
But where do we report terrorist cops? Los Angeles [...]

Sunday 4th October 2009

YouTube version of the Glenn Beck interview

10:13 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | wool | Comments: 0

I finally came across a YouTube clip of the Glenn Beck interview on AmeriCorps.
You can watch it here.
I forgot the cigar.
[Suggestions are welcome... ]

Thursday 24th September 2009

Antiwar Interview on Ashcroft, Tyranny, etc. now online

Scott Horton and I had a rollicking good chat earlier this week on the post 9/11 roundup of innocent terrorist suspects, why John Ashcroft should receive “justice” (and hard), the outrage of sovereign immunity, and the bisexual congresswoman entrapped by a lesbian foreign agent.
You can hear it here.
[If that link doesn't work, hit this [...]

Monday 21st September 2009

My Paranoia Vindicated - Gahan Wilson

3:58 pm | Bovard | wool | Comments: 2

“When did you first become aware of this imagined â€˜plot to get you?â€™â€
Or, as they said after Ruby Ridge, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they are not out to get you.”
Gahan Wilson (no relation to Ruby Ridge) has a new 3 volume collection of his Playboy cartoons hot off the presses.
Wilson will [...]

Thursday 17th September 2009

Civility, 2007-Style: Hanging George Bush

Some people who are outraged by anti-Obama placards have forgotten that, only a few years ago, many people were condemning George Bush in terms as harsh or harsher.
Here is a picture I took at an antiwar rally in Washington in January 2007. The sign - “What’s good for the goose….. gandar” - [...]

Sunday 13th September 2009

Bluegrass Festival: Danny Paisley & Southern Grass, Etc.

10:27 pm | Bovard | Comments: 4

I caught the “Bluegrass on the Farm” festival in Derwood, Maryland on Saturday.
Danny Paisley and Southern Grass put on two magnificent performances. Paisley and his band are nominated for 4 awards this year from the International Bluegrass Music Association. Rain made the audience sparse, but Paisley and crew performed at a [...]

Thursday 10th September 2009

The Post 9/11 Round-up of Innocents: Ashcroft’s High Crime

The Postâ€“9/11 Roundup of Innocents
by James Bovard Freedom Daily May & June, 2009
Many Americans have been lulled into a false sense of security by the end of the George W. [...]

Wednesday 9th September 2009

Obama and his “Leavening Hand”

10:47 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Obama | Comments: 5

Obama’s health care pitch on Wednesday night contained the usual howlers. One of the biggest hoots of the evening came in this riff -
“Our predecessors understood… that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies [...]

Monday 24th August 2009

Glenn Beck Transcript; Suggestions on Getting Video?

4:35 pm | AmeriCorps | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Comments: 9

Following is the transcript of the interview on AmeriCorps with Glenn Beck late last month.
I have not been able to track down a video of the interview. (Fox didn’t come through…) Is there someplace where it is possible to order a DVD/video of a Beck interview?
*****************
Copyright 2009 Fox News Network, LLC.
Fox News Network
SHOW: GLENN [...]

Sunday 9th August 2009

Iran’s Worst Barbarism: Honesty About Torture

The current government is Iran is a bunch of damn rascals and thugs, and there are boatloads of questions about the honesty of their last election.
The regime’s brutal crackdown on protestors reveals its true character. (But the Iranian government is not novel in this sense: the Syrians have been as brutal with their dissidents, [...]

Friday 7th August 2009

Obama and the Perilous Delusions of Democracy

The Future of Freedom Foundation posted online today my article on “Obama and the Perilous Delusions of Democracy.” This was originally published in the April issue of Freedom Daily.
OBAMA & THE PERILOUS DELUSIONS OF DEMOCRACY Freedom Daily April 2009
by James Bovard
When Barack [...]

Thursday 6th August 2009

The Higher the Death Count, the Bigger the Lies….

3:13 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Comments: 1

This is the anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.
In announcing the attack to America and the world, President Harry Truman declared: “The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing [...]

Thursday 30th July 2009

Latest “Trust Us” Heap of Nonsense [Swine Flu Vaccine]

9:30 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Comments: 6

There’s a priceless headline on Reuters this evening:
“Is it safe? U.S. vaccine experts want to build trust”
The Centers for Disease Control are working overtime to assure people that they have nothing to fear from the new @untested new vaccines created in response to government proclamations on swine flu.
And the most important part of assuring that [...]

Tuesday 28th July 2009

Martial Law and the War on Terrorism

The Future of Freedom Foundation is shotgunning out the following oped today….
***
Martial Law and the War on Terrorism
Or â€œOne White House Memo Away From Dictatorshipâ€
by James Bovard
The New York Times reported last week that the Bush administration considered sending in the U.S. military to arrest the so-called Lackawanna Six in 2002. [...]

Friday 24th July 2009

Washington Post Condemns Open Government [Audit the Fed]

12:45 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Ron Paul | Comments: 3

Today’s Washington Post contains an editorial that warns that Ron Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill could end civilized life as we know it.
Well, they didn’t go quite that far - but the editorial reads like it was written in a puddle of sweat.
The Washington Post pretends to take the high ground - and ignores [...]

Saturday 18th July 2009

Barron’s: Obama’s Make-Work Jobs Harm Teenagers

Barron’s ran an article of mine on summer jobs boondoggles as a guest editorial in the issue hitting teh stands today. Here’s an outtake from the article (a subscription is required to see the full version on the online site).
Playing At Work Isn’t Productive Barron’s July 20, 2009
by James Bovard
LONG BEFORE [...]

Monday 13th July 2009

My Vindication, Dammit

2:42 pm | Bovard | Comments: 5

I am usually wary of the liberal bias of the New York Times but every now and then they split the bullseye. Like this article:
Cursing and Pain Relief
By Nicholas Bakalar
If you bang your thumb with a hammer, does it really lessen the pain to let loose with a string of curse words? Automatically [...]

Thursday 9th July 2009

McNamara’s Other “Body Count” Debacle

9:08 am | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | dictatorship | Comments: 4

[an op-ed sent out this morning by the Future of Freedom Foundation]
McNamaraâ€™s Other “Body Count” Debacle
by James Bovard, July 9, 2009
Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, who died on July 6, was best known for ratcheting up the Vietnam War thanks to the false claims he provided to President Johnson, Congress, and the American people.
Despite [...]

Tuesday 7th July 2009

Porn and Attention Deficit Democracy + UPDATE

10:32 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Comments: 7

I knew that American culture was in trouble, but this New York Times front page article on the decline of plots in porn movies confirms my deepest fears.
The Times quotes porn actress Savanna Samson, who “said she took her acting seriously and used to prepare studiously for her roles.”
â€œI used to have dialogue,â€ said [...]

Sunday 5th July 2009

Obama’s Latest Four-Star Howler on Freedom

Prior to his trip to Russia, President Obama issued an appeal to Russian president Dmitri Medvedev to â€œto strengthen the rule of law in Russia, which of course includes making sure that all those accused of crimes have the right to a fair trial and that the courts are not used for political purposes.â€
Of [...]

Friday 3rd July 2009

My 2 Cents on the Tenth Amendment movement

10:16 am | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | dictatorship | Comments: 2

I spoke to Bill Thompson of the Ocala, Florida News earlier this week. He has a very thoughtful article today on the Tenth Amendment movement. Here’s part of his article:
The author James Bovard, whose writings frequently focus on the negative consequences of the growth of the federal government at the expense of individual liberty, [...]

Tuesday 23rd June 2009

Celebrate Torture Day by Punishing Torturers

The Future of Freedom Foundation is shotgunning out this email today…..
Celebrate Torture Day by Punishing Torturers
by James Bovard, June 23, 2009
Since 1997, every June 26 has been formally recognized as the International Day of Support for Victims of Torture. Political leaders around the globe take the occasion to proclaim their opposition to barbarism.
On June [...]

Tuesday 16th June 2009

Are You a “Low-Level Terrorist”?

The Pentagon is teaching soldiers and bureaucrats that people who attend public protests are guilty of “low-level terrorism.”
As a California political blog notes, “Among the multiple-choice questions included in its Level 1 Antiterrorism Awareness training course â€“ an annual training requirement for all DoD personnel that is fulfilled through web-based instruction â€“ the DoD [...]

Friday 12th June 2009

Perverse Reading Habits of U.S. Attorneys: Shredding Privacy, Except for Torturers

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:
US Attorney subpoenas Las Vegas Review-Journal for info about posters to a web-page story.

“On May 26 the Review-Journal published an article about an ongoing federal tax evasion trial. The primary defendant, Las Vegan Robert Kahre, stands accused of tax fraud for using the rather inventive argument that he could [...]

Wednesday 10th June 2009

The Latest Torture Coverup Scam

The Future of Freedom Foundation is shotgunning out an oped I wrote on the latest torture coverup. Alas, this subject continues to be hell on idealists.
*****
The Latest Torture Cover-Up Scam
by James Bovard, June 10, 2009
The Obama administration appears increasingly devoted to covering up the worst crimes of the Bush era. On Monday, CIA chief Leon [...]

Friday 29th May 2009

Obama’s Torture Coverup

9:37 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Torture | Comments: 2

Does President Obama have a vested interest in covering up the crimes of the Bush administration?
His decision to block the release of photos of U.S. troops abusing detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan is a reminder that the nation may still be running on “Cheney time.” As long as the photos are not released, former Bush [...]

Thursday 28th May 2009

The Campaign Reform Scam/Crime/Damn Outrage - Parts 1 and 2

The Future of Freedom Foundation posted online today the second part of my analysis of the McCain Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act hokum. (This is from the February issue of Freedom Daily). I am reposting it here, along with the first part of the article (posted on this blog yesterday).
***
The Campaign Reform Scam Part [...]

Wednesday 27th May 2009

The Campaign Reform Crime (or Scam?)

The Future of Freedom Foundation posted online today my article from the January issue of Freedom Daily on campaign reform scams. This is the first part of a two-part series on the McCain-Feingold act and related hokum.
********************************
The Campaign Reform Scam Part 1 [...]

Sunday 24th May 2009

Politicians and Memorial Day: The Guy Fawkes Solution

4:37 pm | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | Uncategorized | Comments: 4

I stopped by the Visitors Center at Manassas Battlefield Park last month and was struck by a quote capturing Georgia private B. M. Zettler’s reaction to being enmeshed in the battle of Bull Run:
“I felt that I was in the presence of death. My first thought was, ‘This is unfair - someone is to [...]

Friday 8th May 2009

The Real Victims of the Torture Scandal

Instapundit Glenn Reynolds debunks the torture scandal once and for all. In a post entitled “PELOSI LIED, THE WATERBOARDING ISSUE DIED,” Reynolds declares that “the torture issue was mostly a political tool designed to cow right-leaning members of the punditocracy by calling them Nazis. Now that itâ€™s not needed so much, it can [...]

Tuesday 5th May 2009

My 2 Cents on Ron Paul, Surveillance, and the Republican Party’s Future

David Weigel has a good piece in the Washington Independent today on Ron Paul ’s rising influence in Washington. The articles mentions that Ron Paul has been bringing in some folks to have lunch and discuss ideas with some of his Republican colleagues. The article includes a quote from me: â€œThereâ€™s a [...]

Tuesday 28th April 2009

Saluting AmeriCorps in IBD

Good ol’ AmeriCorps just can’t get as many salutes as it deserves. This is the first time I have seen the phrase “bogus idealism” in a headline.
****
INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY
Rife With Bogus Idealism, Waste, AmeriCorps Doesn’t Need To Exist
By JAMES BOVARD
President Obama signed legislation Tuesday to triple the number of AmeriCorps members from [...]

Saturday 25th April 2009

Obama’s Double Standard on Atrocities & Evil

At a Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Capitol on Thursday, President Obama called for “fighting the silence that is evil’s greatest co-conspirator.”
On the same day, Obama decided to oppose creation of a truth commission to vigorously investigate and expose U.S. torture crimes.
This is another of those damn paradoxes of which Washington is full of.
Perhaps [...]

Thursday 23rd April 2009

Bullseye on Fascism & Torture

Last week, conservatives were complaining Obama was establishing a socialistic fascist dictatorship.
This week, conservatives are complaining Obama does not want to torture his opponents. from Talking Points Memo
I reckon this is another one of those damn paradoxes Washington is full of.
There are plenty of reasons to vigorously oppose Obama’s power grabs (like Bush’s power [...]

Wednesday 22nd April 2009

On Judge Napolitano’s “Freedom Watch” This Afternoon (4/22) + UPDATE

9:46 am | Attention Deficit Democracy | Bovard | dictatorship | Comments: 4

I am scheduled to be on Judge Andrew Napolitano’s “Freedom Watch” internet broadcast on Fox today @ 2:30 pm. Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, and Glenn Beck are also scheduled for the program (which starts at 2 pm).
You can watch it live here. The show will also be archived at that site.
Topics for [...]

Tuesday 21st April 2009

Pity for a Constitution Stomper?

Congresswoman Jane Harman is indignant. A National Security Agency wiretap reportedly picked up her conversation seeking favors from a suspected Israeli agent in return for Harman lobbying the Justice Department to drop the lawsuit against AIPAC’s former top officials.
Harman denies the charge and swears that her good name has been defiled. (Har!). Harman sent [...]

Friday 17th April 2009

Obama-Style “Nation of Laws”

Obama proudly declared yesterday that ours is a “nation of laws” at the same time he announced that CIA torturers would not be prosecuted for their crimes.
Life in Washington is one damn paradox after another.
Kudos to the American Civil Liberties Union for their lawsuit that compelled the disclosure of the torture memos yesterday. But [...]

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