Scott Horton and I had a rowdy chat on the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta on his radio show. Everyone seems to have forgotten how King John tried to slaughter the barons after he promised to limit his power. Following is the nub of my comments in this interview: From the mid-1200s onwards, English kings were […]
Tag Archives | Epigrams
King John Butchered Authors of Magna Charta
… or at least he tried to butcher them. On this day 800 years ago, King John was compelled to sign Magna Charta, formally accepting a limit to his prerogative to ravage everything in England. But the ink on his signature was barely dry before he brought in foreign forces and tried to wipe out […]
Mises Inst.: The Washington Intellectual Gravy Train
The Mises Institute’s “The Austrian” Newsletter The Washington Intellectual Gravy Train by James Bovard Intellectuals have long been glorified as champions of truth and defenders of society’s highest values. But in Washington, they serve as Leviathan‘s Praetorian Guard. Intellectuals are thriving in DC thanks in large part to the ruinous policy advice they proffer. The […]
My 2003 Oped on Patriot Act Lies – Baltimore Sun
Senators are brawling over the renewal of the Patriot Act. Few folks recognize how the feds have been brazenly lying about the Patriot Act ever since it was enacted. Here’s an oped I did a dozen years ago pointing out a few of the Justice Department’s frauds. Baltimore Sun, August 18, 2003 America fights for […]
Wash. Times: FDA’s War on Cheap Cigars
Washington Times, May 28, 2015 FDA cigar ban proposal a government regulation too far By James Bovard The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finalizing regulations that could ban the sale of most of the cigars currently available in the United States. The FDA last year uncorked a 241-page, 70,000 word barrage of proposed restrictions […]
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 […]
Counterpunch: Will Vagina Voters Devour Democracy?
COUNTERPUNCH, MAY 12, 2015 Has Hillary Finally Found Her Brand? Will “Vagina Voters” Devour Democracy? by JAMES BOVARD Wear gloves on Election Day! “Fat-O-Sphere” author Kate Harding announced plans to “vote with my vagina” for Hillary Clinton. Harding said her voting was guided in part by her difficult menstrual cycles. I wonder who she would vote […]