In honor of Bush’s library dedication today, here are some more epigrams he inspired from Terrorism & Tyranny (Palgrave, 2003) Killing foreigners is no substitute for protecting Americans. Habeas corpus is an insurance policy to prevent governments from going berserk. Perpetual war inevitably begets perpetual repression. It is impossible to destroy all alleged enemies of […]
Tag Archives | Democracy
Bush Betrayal Epigrams – in honor of Library Day
Down in Texas, the George W. Bush Library will be officially opened today. In honor of the occasion, here’s a few epigrams from my 2004 book, The Bush Betrayal: Truth is a lagging indicator in politics. The arrogance of power is the best hope for the survival of freedom. The only way to reconcile the […]
Wash. Times: The ‘You Are the Government’ Canard
Washington Times, April 15, 2013 BOVARD: The ‘you are the government’ canard Obama joins predecessors in blaming his overreach on us by James Bovard In his continuing campaign to subvert the Second Amendment, President Obama recently unveiled one of the oldest tricks in the demagogue playbook. Speaking in Colorado, he declared that since America is […]
Your Tax Dollars at Work and Play
I’m sitting here filling out my IRS Form 1040 and just realized that I’m suffering from a severe deficit of idealism. To rectify that defect, I re-read this op-ed I wrote in 2011…. Washington Times, April 14, 2011 Uncle Sam’s big plans for your hard-earned tax dollars by James Bovard Congratulations – your tax payment […]
Ripping the Raisin Regime in USA Today
USA Today April 5, 2013 (also syndicated nationwide via Gannett) Fight for the Right to Grow Raisins by James Bovard If the Supreme Court cannot smack down the raisin racket, then it should forfeit any pretense of safeguarding Americans’ rights and liberties. The Supreme Court could soon end one of the federal government’s most archaic […]
Political Accounting: Why Waste is Inevitable
From the Freeman, September 1999 – partly extracted from my Freedom in Chains (1999) Here are a few of the punchier lines from the piece – * The benevolence of government rarely transcends the venality of politics. * The amount of power a politician can seize over other people is inversely related to the politician’s […]
Don’t Scapegoat Freedom for Leviathan’s Failures
Listening to the media touting Obama around the clock reminded me of a piece I wrote for Sheldon Richman, editor of the Freeman, five years ago. Unfortunately, the media and intellectuals are playing the same bunkum games now that they did under the previous president. Here are some one-liners plucked from the following article: * […]