American Conservative, July 24, 2020 How Intellectuals Cured ‘Tyrannophobia’ American presidents have adopted Hobbesian levels of power. by Jim Bovard Almost 400 years ago, English philosopher Thomas Hobbes wrote a book scoffing at tyrannophobia—the “fear of being strongly governed.” This was a peculiar term that Hobbes invented in Leviathan, since civilized nations had feared […]
Tag Archives | Trump
Sham Bailout Statistics Shroud Shutdown Tyranny
American Institute for Economic Research, July 16, 2020 Sham Bailout Statistics Shroud Shutdown Tyranny by James Bovard – July 16, 2020 Last month, I wrote a piece here condemning the Trump administration for refusing to disclose the beneficiaries of bailouts authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The following day, […]
Will Trump Declare Martial Law?
American Conservative, June 3, 2020 Civil Liberties Trump’s Finger on the Martial Law Trigger by James Bovard Giving the military total power would be a political nuclear bomb, provoking more unrest than we have now. |12:01 am Jim Bovard President Trump may be veering closer to declaring martial law in response to rioting in many […]
Will the Political Class be Held Liable for Their Pandemic Wreckage?
Will the Political Class Be Held Liable For What They’ve Done? James Bovard – May 21, 2020 Politically-dictated lockdowns and prohibitions have recently destroyed tens of millions of American jobs. Politicians have effectively claimed a right to inflict unlimited economic damage in pursuit of zero COVID-19 contagion. The perverse incentives driving the policy have […]
Minneapolis Killing is Summons to End Police Tyranny Nationwide
American Conservative, May 30, 2020 Cops Kill Because We Gave Them The Legal Framework to Do It Rather than burning and looting, protesters should turn their ire on lawmakers and judges who facilitate police immunity. George Floyd moments before his death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day (Twitter) by Jim Bovard The brutal Minneapolis police killing […]
Pandemic Security Theater is Self-Destructive
American Renewal Pandemic Security Theater Is Self-Destructive, And Won’t Make Us Safer James Bovard Contributor March 24, 2020 2:32 PM ET Last week, President Donald Trump proclaimed that “we are at war with an invisible enemy,” and on Sunday he said, “I’m a wartime president … This is a different kind of war than we’ve […]
Syria Debacles Epitomize Perpetual Perfidy of U.S. Foreign Policy
Counterpunch, March 6, 2020 Syria Debacles Epitomize Perpetual Perfidy of U.S. Foreign Policy by James Bovard Turkey is ratcheting up its invasion of Syria and trying to drag NATO into Erdogan’s personal rehabilitation scheme. Threats and counter-threats are flying as thickly as the bombs and bullets. It remains to be seen whether U.S. policymakers will […]