Allen Weinstein, the first chief of the National Endowment for Democracy, died yesterday. The logo to the left illustrates some of the anti-government protest movements that the Endowment helped bankroll (courtesy of the Voltaire Network). But helping topple foreign regimes that refused to kowtow to Washington has done little to advance self-government around the world. Ron […]
Tag Archives | Freedom
MP3 of Magna Carta Turkey Shoot on Scott Horton Show
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 […]
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 […]
USA TODAY: TSA has no excuse to continue the groping
USA TODAY, June 5, 2015 TSA has no excuse to continue the groping by James Bovard Thieving agents, racial profiling and excessive pat-downs haven’t made us safer. Last August, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole attacked an article I wrote, stating that it was “Misleading, inaccurate and unfairly disparages the dedicated (TSA) workforce. … […]
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 […]