(Author's note: In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit to being a friend of James Bovard as well as having been a past source of his regarding the economic insanity of federal government programs.)
The post-Labor Day period is one in which publishers like to come out with new books, ones that will capture readers' attention, possibly stir up some controversy, and thus stimulate sales. And this season is no exception, with many recent and new releases dealing with the so-called war on terrorism. However, most of these books deal with specific aspects of this topic, devoting the full volume to such things as America's 9/11 intelligence failure, disagreements among government officials regarding the war on terror, suggestions for winning the war on terrorism, why the U.S. hasn't captured Osama bin Laden, etc.
Unlike those, James Bovard, in Terrorism and Tyranny: Trampling Freedom, Justice, and Peace to Rid the World of Evil, goes much further. Never content to follow the mass media and focus solely on the minutiae of an important question, Bovard explores and analyzes the bigger picture in order to get to the truth of the matter – namely how Americans let themselves get dragged into what appears to be a never-ending war on terror, how politicians have used fear of terrorism to dangerously expand the power of the federal government, and the extremely serious threat to life, liberty, and property that the exercise of this power poses to citizens of the United States and to those of other countries.
This will make his book appealing to readers of LRC, who are certainly among the best read and informed on this topic, because it is a concise and accurate chronicle of what happened and what could happen to our freedom as a result of excessive federal government power.
But this is a book that will also appeal to those on the left and to those who believe themselves to be conservatives, even though most are modern-day imperialists, and reading it can help persuade more citizens to question the size and scope of government. While the left may seem to be a more ready audience given the nature of Bovard's analysis and criticism of the Bush war on terror – and are therefore likely to read it, it will provide enough evidence to make the more intelligent among that group consider abandoning their support for an all-powerful central government. Those who claim to be conservatives would also benefit greatly from reading the book. This latter group – including many who now unthinkingly follow the neocon line – will be made most uneasy by the book as it will rightly shake up their belief in and political support for the omnipotent imperialistic American superstate championed by neocons.
For those not familiar with Bovard's approach to researching and writing on topics, permit me to say a few words on his style before giving a brief summary of his work. He is extremely meticulous in researching, presenting, and documenting the evidence he uses to make his points. He does this by use of extensive direct quotations – both before and after events – in order to pin down the facts, actions and beliefs of the politicians he criticizes and analyzes. In doing so, he does not engage in heavy speculation, but instead lets the facts speak for themselves. By applying this technique, Bovard puts specific politicians under the microscope and exposes them for the liars that they usually are. And even better news is that despite his meticulous approach, he also writes well, making the book an easy read.
That said, here are some of the specific topics he addresses within the overall framework of his discussion and analysis of the U.S. war on terrorism. Contrary to popular belief that George W. Bush was the first president to engage the U.S. in a war on terror, it turns out that Ronald Reagan began America's war on terror at the time he took office, in the wake of the hostage crisis in Iran. Later, Reagan and his administration were seriously tarnished by the Iran-Contra affair. Bovard's detailed recounting of this hair-brained fiasco serves as a reminder of how badly the U.S. stumbled in starting its war on terrorism.
After documenting the buildup to George W. Bush's version of the war on terrorism (he does not spare criticism of either George H.W. Bush, or William J. Clinton), Bovard analyzes, in great detail, the absolute bungling and slovenliness with which U.S. intelligence – notably the CIA and the FBI – dealt with the information that most intelligent people would have considered a warning of terrorist attacks. (After reading this chapter, I thought that these folks needed to have their budgets cut at least 50% next year, just to get them to focus their attention on the real threats to the U.S.)
His subsequent discussion of the Patriot Act – and other related laws giving federal law enforcement more unconstitutional powers – read like they could fit into an updated version of George Orwell's 1984. The powers that so-called federal law enforcement now has – essentially warrantless searches, suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the ability to smear, without penalty, persons of interest, the ability to spy on every American without probable cause for doing so – are absolutely frightening. The only thing missing from Bovard's discussion was a reference to the ubiquitous telescreen in 1984, which Big Brother's minions used to spy on everyone's life. (Don't bet that they're not working on such a device. Inquiring minds like those of Cheney, Rummy, and Wolfowitz want to know what we're thinking!!)
Like any bureaucrats, John Ashcroft and his boss, George W. Bush, want a "brag sheet," that is, want to be able to shout to the hilltops of the nation how good a job they are doing in protecting citizens from attacks by al Qaeda or any other similar terrorist groups. They hypocritically cite all the government's so-called successes in fighting terrorism, including all the phony arrests made to goose up arrest numbers, all in the name of convincing the public that they are doing a good job. As Claude Rains said in the movie Casablanca, "Round up the usual suspects!" And George W. Bush and John Aschcroft have followed his "sage advice."
Other chapters are notable for exposing further the insanity that the so-called Transportation Security Administration (TSA in bureaucratese) has inflicted upon air travelers in the U.S., for highlighting the Bush administration's support for other states inflicting terror upon their citizens (hey, they're our terrorists, bought and paid for – therefore, they're not really terrorists since they're running a government, just like us), and for informing the reader of the horrible Israeli war on terrorism. This latter discussion is documented with extensive quotes from B'Tselem, Israel's premier human rights organization.
While Bovard does not directly compare the progression of events in the U.S. to what has happened and what is happening in Israel, the implications of his discussion are clear. Since the U.S. and Israel now are often talked of as the only nations really opposing terrorism, the U.S. government now appears to be following Israel's lead by becoming as harsh as Israel in dealing with those who oppose it or disagree with it.
Bovard goes on to provide some suggestions for how U.S. citizens might extricate themselves from the mess their presidents have gotten them into, including a return to a sound defense policy (really defending the United States from terrorists) and a sharp cut in foreign aid, so that other nations could never claim that America was favoring one nation over another.
As I stated above, this is a book that readers of LRC will want as a standard reference. Even more important, liberals and so-called conservatives need to read this volume. In addition to sparking their interest in what has happened, it could change their mind and help bring the U.S. out of the horrible mess that past and current presidents – with the tacit approval of Congress – have gotten us into.
September 4, 2003
Jim Grichar (aka Exx-Gman) [send him mail], formerly an economist with the federal government, writes to “un-spin” the federal government’s attempt to con the public. He teaches economics part-time at a community college and provides economic consulting services to the private sector.
