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 […]
Tag Archives | Epigrams
FFF: Freedom vs. Medals of Freedom
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 […]
My Wash. Times Op-Ed: Obama’s Democracy Flim-Flam
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 […]
Iraq War Flashback: 2003 Epigrams
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 […]
My Wash. Times Op-Ed: Obama’s Toxic Secrecy-Censorship Combo
Washington Times, June 5, 2014 Caught between secrecy and censorship Americans need a free press to tell them when the Constitution is trampled by James Bovard Last Monday, the Supreme Court provided invaluable aid to the Obama administration’s campaign to hide evidence of federal abuses from Americans. The court acceded to the administration’s appeal and […]
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 […]
Wash. Times: “Truth Will Prevail” – a Costly Govt. Fairy Tale
Washington Times, April 25, 2014 BOVARD: ‘Truth will prevail’ — a costly government fairy tale by James Bovard The Supreme Court heard lawyers wrangle Tuesday over an Ohio law that criminalizes false statements about political candidates. The justices were skeptical if not scornful of the efforts by Ohio and 14 other states to create “ministries […]