From the Future of Freedom Foundation’s monthly journal – Freedom vs. Medals of Freedom by James Bovard Though proximity to power is its own reward, rulers have long recognized the benefit of distributing trinkets to potential sycophants. From medieval times onwards, the English king was seen as the “fount of all honors.” The British government […]
WASHINGTON TIMES June 20, 2014 How Obama whoops up democracy The president blunders by thinking voting alone will keep people safe by James Bovard As his foreign policy becomes more bollixed by the week, President Obama is taking refuge by whooping up democracy. In Warsaw, Poland, earlier this month, Mr. Obama proclaimed, “Wherever people are […]
As the Obama administration appears to be stumbling back towards warring in Iraq, many folks are recalling the follies of the Bush administration’s 2003 war. This excellent Tom Toles’ cartoon from the Washington Post captures W.’s legacy. As the Bush administration was rattling its sabers towards Iraq from mid-2002 onwards, I hustled numerous pieces to […]
Washington Times, May 2, 2014 Obama’s War on Watchdogs by James Bovard A Senate report last week revealed that the Obama administration utterly debilitated the inspector general for the Homeland Security Department. Charles Edwards, the acting IG from early 2011 till last December, toadied to Obama appointees at every opportunity — stifling reports, deleting damning […]
Going back nigh 30 years, I have always been deeply pained when people accuse me of being cynical about U.S. foreign aid. At least my breakfast was nicely spiced this morning by a Washington Post front page story – “After billions in U.S. investment, Afghan roads are falling apart.” The highways that the U.S. spent billions […]
Is anyone else having trouble distinguishing today’s two most popular acronyms – SOTU & STFU? When people ask why I watch Obama speeches, I shrug and admit that that is part of the terms of my parole. What will Obama’s biggest howlers be tonight? I am expecting a burst of candor as much as I […]
The Future of Freedom Foundation is producing transcripts from its 2007 and 2008 conferences. Following is the text of my speech at their June 2008 conference, “Restoring the Republic 2008: Foreign Policy & Civil Liberties” held in Reston, Virginia. My opening bit about having lunch with Homeland Security czar Mike Chertoff and getting the scoop on […]
