June 25, 2014 The Medals of Freedom vs. America’s Freedom by JAMES BOVARD For almost 50 years, politicians have used Medals of Freedom to reward their henchmen who started wars or subverted freedom. Prior to the 1960s, the U.S. government avoided the temptation to distribute nonmilitary awards by the bucket. However, in 1963, President […]
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 […]
This Tom Toles’ cartoon from the Wash. Post nicely captures the latest election absurdities in Egypt. We don’t have ancient pyramids in this country, but the ruling class is similarly imposing layer after layer of BS on elections. Many Americans already believe that we have an “unknown democracy.” How many absurdities can a democratic system […]
This New Yorker “daily cartoon” by Mick Stevens was sparked by the Veterans Administration scandal. But this is the future of our entire health care system thanks to ObamaCare and an avalanche of federal subsidies and mandates starting half a century ago. Here’s a link to a great NPR interview with two of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Jim
Glad you liked the piece. Sure, link away. Jim
Jack
Jim:
Saw your post about this on X. Agree with
