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 […]
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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 […]
Washington Post: Should Laughter be a Federal Crime?
Washington Post, May 3, 2017 Arresting someone for laughing may sound funny, but it’s no joke I was once kicked out of the Supreme Court for laughing. The charges against Desiree Fairooz are serious business. By James Bovard The Justice Department is prosecuting a woman who laughed during a Senate hearing to confirm Jeff Sessions […]
USA TODAY: Abolish the Sugar Program
USA TODAY, August 12, 2015 Rubio’s sweet but wasted bravery by James Bovard Fighting to kill jobs won’t win election America would be more prosperous if not a single sugar beet or sugar cane were grown anywhere in the United States because bankrolling sugar production in Florida makes as little sense as growing bananas in […]