Some folks wonder sometimes about the purpose of journalism. Well, sometimes barking is its own reward. The real problem is not the journalists that bark but those that grovel at the feet of govt. officials awaiting a pat on the head or a “scoop” that serves only Leviathan. h/t to Patrick McDonnell for another […]
USA TODAY: “Hurricane HUD” & the Baltimore Riots
USA TODAY May 25, 2015 How Baltimore became Pottersville by James Bovard Trusting federal housing subsidies to help save the city is the ultimate triumph of hope over experience. Baltimore’s recent riots are not surprising in a city that has long been plagued by both police brutality and one of the nation’s highest murder rates […]
MP3 of my NPR Debate on Federal Job Training
Marty Nemko had me on his NPR-San Francisco KALW program today to debate federal job training reform with Stephen Baiter, the executive directory of the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County, California. Marty wanted a civil debate, so we didn’t bust any chairs over each other’s heads. I have been writing […]
Rage Provoked by Wash. Post Boy Scout Quotes
A Washington Post article today – “Why the Scouts Can do No Right Politically” – included several paragraphs from my USA Today article last week. Here’s a partial outtake: “This month, long before Gates’s announcement, conservative critics slammed the Boy Scouts for new initiatives such as including girls in activities and emphasizing math and science. […]
FFF: Know-Nothing Democracy on Capitol Hill
Future of Freedom, March 2015 (posted 5/22/15) Know-Nothing Democracy on Capitol Hill by James Bovard “You can lead a man to Congress but you can’t make him think,” quipped Milton Berle in 1950. Last December’s congressional approval of the 1,603-page, $1.1 trillion omnibus bill (known as “Cromnibus,” because it was also a Continuing Resolution) also […]
Latest Iraq Success Story
Cartoonist Tom Toles perfectly captures the latest Iraq fiasco. This is a joint Bush-Obama debacle – and proof that neither party can be trusted to intelligently intervene in the Middle East. But the pro-Iraq war crowd is still yelping for the U.S. to “fix” Syria….
“a sometimes libertarian blogger and self-described social analyst”
OK, so I need to be blogging more often. A Scout leader in Louisiana begins his response to my USA Today piece: “James Bovard, a sometimes libertarian blogger and self-described social analyst…” I have many vices but I have never described myself as a “social analyst.” I’m disappointed that he didn’t call me a “hooligan.” At the […]