I don’t know about other political skeptics, but I certainly don’t recognize myself in this New Republic portrayal of folks who distrust the government. I’ve never taken an AR-15 to bed even when I was liquored up bad. And choosing Cass Sunstein to review Richard Epstein is a hoot. I first sparred with Sunstein when […]
Author Archive | Jim
FFF: How I Learned Not to Shovel
From the February 2014 issue of FFF’s Future of Freedom – HOW I LEARNED NOT TO SHOVEL by James Bovard The Obama administration has touted government jobs and training programs as one of the solutions to America’s high unemployment rate. Such programs can teach young people invaluable lessons — especially about the unreliability of political […]
My Wash. Times Op-Ed: Obama’s Cynicism Racketeering
Washington Times, May 19, 2014 Obama’s indiscriminate charges of cynicism Americans have good reason to doubt the president’s good intentions by James Bovard As his poll ratings sink, President Obama is ratcheting up his denunciations of cynicism. However, Mr. Obama’s crusade to rid the nation of cynicism is going badly. A presidency built on restoring […]
Dilbert: You’re Programmed to Scoff at This
Today’s Dilbert cartoon has a wonderful line in the last panel: “And you’re programmed to scoff at what I just said.” Ironically, I often get that same reaction to my articles. If I had a beer for every time someone labeled me a “crazy old coot” – or a @#$@$@ SOB etc. – then — […]
An FBI Birthday Card You Don’t Want to Receive
The Greg Abbott campaign crafted this birthday card for their supporters to send to Wendy Davis, his Democratic opponent in the race for the U.S. Senate in Texas. I’m not sure that they wish Wendy well. The card could also be sent to Antiwar.com, which is now conducting a fundraising drive. Antiwar.com was investigated by the FBI […]
My Zoning Crackdown Eviction Notice & 1996 Playboy Article on Zoning
Reading about the city of Richmond’s zoning code crackdown on Tom Blanton reminded me of how I fell into similar crosshairs while living in Blacksburg, Virginia in the late 1970s. Here’s the riff from Public Policy Hooligan: How An Eviction Notice Made Me an Anti-Zoning Zealot – In late 1976, I moved into a […]
Anniversary of Federal Charges Dismisssed Against Ellsberg / Pentagon Papers
On this day in 1973, all federal charges were dismissed against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the Pentagon Papers release. Most whistleblowers have not been as lucky since Obama took power. Here’s a piece I wrote in 2008 that was spurred by Ellsberg’s excellent memoir: COUNTERPUNCH, July 24, 2008 Leaking Crimes of State: Daniel Ellsberg’s Lessons for […]
Tennessee Budd
You forgot the lie of 1861. Some Americans, seeing