… 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 […]
Tag Archives | Rule of Law
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 […]
D.C. Devil’s Dictionary Redux at Advocates
The good folks at the Advocates for Self-Government reposted a chunk of my USA Today Devil’s Dictionary piece last week. I learned via email this morning that Sharon Harris is retiring after 20 years as the president of the Advocates. Sharon has done great work – she is very savvy and is the incarnation of a […]
USA Today: My Devil’s Dictionary
USA TODAY April 13, 2015 Tax-time devil’s dictionary of DC lingo by James Bovard Having trouble with the ‘Washingtonese’ around April 15? Look no further for a translation. April 15 is the day each year when Americans are most likely to slander Washington. Unfortunately, the city’s nebulous nomenclature deters citizens from recognizing exactly how well […]
Wash. Times: Saving ObamaCare with Supreme Hypocrisy?
Washington Times, March 12, 2015 Saving Obamacare with supreme hypocrisy By James Bovard – March 12, 2015 Justices fret over coercing states while endlessly menacing individuals At last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act, several justices questioned whether a verdict against Obamacare would be “unconstitutionally coercive” to state governments that did […]
MP3 of Ernie Hancock Rowdy Interview Today
FreedomsPhoenix hellraiser-in-chief Ernie Hancock, the next mayor of Phoenix, had me on his radio show today. I always like to be on Ernie’s show because that’s the only place that people hear me and think that I am mellow. (Ernie’s show is also broadcast on the Liberty Radio network.) Ernie’s expectation of a mushroom cloud […]
Counterpunch: Eric Holder, Patron Saint of Killer Cops
COUNTERPUNCH, February 23, 2015 Eric Holder, Patron Saint of Killer Cops by JAMES BOVARD Attorney General Eric Holder is collecting buckets of accolades in his final weeks in office. Newspapers are especially praising Holder’s suggestion that the feds begin keeping tabs on shootings by police across the nation. But Holder’s own career shows his devotion […]