
Tag Archives | fearmongering


Banning Guns Will Not Make Schools Safe
Banning Guns Will Not Make Schools Safe by James Bovard School shootings have become the latest pretext for politicians to destroy the Second Amendment. Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, declared in a Democratic presidential candidates’ debate, “I was part of the first generation that saw routine school shootings. We have now produced the […]

Trump And the Presidential Fearmongering Tradition
The media is railing about Trump for fearmongering ahead of the midterm elections. Like this never happened before? Like this is not the job description of modern politicians? Like Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton did not fearmonger whenever they could profit by spooking Americans? Trump is continuing a tradition that was firmly established by […]

Fear-Mongering and Servitude (2011)
Freeman, June 2011 Fear-Mongering and Servitude by James Bovard In his 1776 essay, “Thoughts on Government,” John Adams observed, “Fear is the foundation of most governments; but it is so sordid and brutal a passion, and renders men in whose breasts it predominates so stupid and miserable, that Americans will not be likely to approve […]

MP3 of War on Terrorism Run Amok Interview – Scott Horton & Libertarian Institute
Here’s a rollicking discussion with Scott Horton, managing director of the Libertarian Institute, on the absurdities of the war on terror – and the BS of some of the backlash against Donald Trump. Here’s Scott’s summary: James Bovard, the author of many books including Attention Deficit Democracy, discusses the 70+ fusion centers funded by the […]
Counterpunch: Trump’s Fearmongering is Tawdry Presidential Tradition
Counterpunch, February 13, 2017 Trump’s Fearmongering is a Tawdry Presidential Tradition by James Bovard President Donald Trump is being reviled for wildly exaggerating the peril of Muslim refugees. Some commentators fret that his rhetoric signals a new fascist era descending on America. A recent Washington Post news analysis derided Trump’s fearmongering: “Playing upon the nation’s […]

USA Today: Trump’s Fearmongering is White House Tradition
USA Today, February 8, 2017 Hey, wait a minute, Trump’s fear-mongering isn’t new by James Bovard Stoking public fear is a bipartisan White House tradition to boost presidential power. President Trump is being reviled for wildly exaggerating the peril of Muslim refugees. Some commentators fret that his rhetoric signals a new fascist era descending on […]