Journalist and regular contributor to the Libertarian Institute James Bovard will appear on C-SPAN's Washington Journal this morning to talk about COVID-19 testing. You can watch his appearance, starting at 9:30pm EST, at this link.
James Bovard
Ruby Ridge – On Aug. 21, 1992, Six Heavily Armed, Camouflaged U.S. Marshals Sneaked Onto Mr. Weaver’s Property
"The American people look forward to learning the truth of the Randy Weaver case. Unfortunately, that truth will have to come from someplace other than the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Jim Bovard responds to Louis Freeh, FBI Director (see Jim's full response below) The Wall Street Journal Monday, February 27, 1995 Letters to the Editor: The FBI Should Face the Facts Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis Freeh, in his Jan. 26 Letter to the Editor, denies the allegations from my Jan. 10 editorial-page article that the FBI has engaged in a coverup regarding its actions at...
Jim Bovard Speaks to Maryland Libertarians About the Waco Siege
28 years ago yesterday, the FBI launched a tank and toxic gas assault on the Branch Davidians that ended with 80 dead civilians. On Saturday night James Bovard spoke to the Maryland Libertarian Party convention. Below is his riff from that speech on how Biden slapped a halo on the ATF and FBI after the Waco debacle and his nomination of David Chipman to head ATF. This was originally featured at James Bovard's blog and is republished with...
COI #83 – Does Biden’s Afghan ‘Peace Plan’ Stand a Chance?
On COI #83, Kyle and Will break down the Biden administration's new Afghan "peace plan," which sets out a series of lofty goals for ending fighting in the country and setting up a post-war government. But after two decades of failure in Afghanistan, it's unclear what the plan will accomplish beyond extending the American occupation. The Supreme Court has refused to hear a case that could have challenged the legal doctrine of qualified immunity, which places massive obstacles in front of anybody seeking accountability for abusive and murderous police officers. The case stemmed from a 2016...
Her Name Was Breonna Taylor: The Deadly Consequences of No-Knock Warrants
mid the nationwide focus on the death of George Floyd, another tragedy has unfortunately fallen by the wayside. We should not forget the death of Breonna Taylor—or the dire need to abolish the “no-knock” warrants that caused her death, trample property rights, and routinely endanger Americans. Here’s the sad story of Taylor’s death. On March 13, police officers broke into the Louisville, Kentucky home of Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, unannounced. The police were executing a “no-knock” warrant, which allows them to conduct a search without identifying themselves as law...
3/16/20 Jim Bovard on the Police Killing of Duncan Lemp
Jim Bovard shares the story of the death of Duncan Lemp, a 21-year-old Maryland man recently killed by police in his home in the middle of the night. The police aren't releasing their side of the story yet, but it looks as though Lemp hadn't even been charged with any crimes—police were simply executing a search warrant on what they deemed a "high-risk" target. The SWAT team threw stun grenades into his room, where he and his pregnant girlfriend were sleeping, then shot Lemp to death. Scott suspects that the officers responsible will face few to no repercussions for this crime, as is...
News Roundup 9/3/19
US News Two former New York police officers got only probation for raping an 18-year-old girl. The officers detained the girl for drugs, then claimed she had consensual sex with them. [Link] James Bovard explains why mandatory gun buyback will not work in the US. [Link] Kentucky passes a law that allows the state to discriminate against people who support the BDS movement. [Link] While visiting Poland, Mike Pence calls for allies to stay vigilant against Russia. [Link] Venezuela Peru is cracking down on Venezuelans entering their country. [Link] Hong Kong Moon of Alabama breaks down how...
Federal Judges Are Waging War on the Fourth Amendment
In 1984, as part of Ronald Reagan’s renewed war on drugs, the Drug Enforcement Administration launched Operation Pipeline. This program was inspired by the strategies employed by state troopers in New Mexico who, after pulling somebody over, asked specific questions designed to determine whether the driver might be a drug trafficker. Combined with the financial incentives of federal grants for drug enforcement and civil asset forfeiture laws, state and local police had strong new incentives to find reasons to stop vehicles and search for drugs. Operation Pipeline was meant, in part, to...
3/22/19 Jim Bovard on John McCain’s Disastrous Legacy
Jim Bovard talks about the legacy of John McCain, who of course has only been lionized more than ever following his death and the controversy surrounding President Trump. The truth, says Bovard, is much more sinister. Discussed on the show: "John McCain's Disastrous Militaristic Legacy" (James Bovard) Keating Five Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam "The story behind McNamara's Morons, Vietnam War's cruel experiment" (Big Think) Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan:...
This Week in Congress
Well the longest shutdown in history is over . . . for now. Last Friday, the Senate and House passed legislation ending the government shutdown until February 15. The Senate passed it by unanimous consent so there is no roll-call vote. Here is the roll-call vote from the House. The bill passed by a vote of 231-180, with 179 Republicans voting no. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the only Democrat to vote no. She voted no because she refuses to vote for any bill that funds the Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) agency. Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee was...
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