National Security State

The Global Deep State

by John W. Whitehead February 23, 2024

“The madmen are in power.”— Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle The debate over U.S. foreign aid is a distraction. That’s not to say that the amount of taxpayer money flowing to foreign countries in the form of military and economic assistance is insignificant. Even at less than 1% of the federal budget, the United ...

Big Brother and the Rise of the Security Industrial Complex

by John W. Whitehead February 14, 2024

“Big Brother is Watching You.”―George Orwell, 1984 2024 is the new 1984. Forty years past the time that George Orwell envisioned the stomping boot of Big Brother, the police state is about to pass off the baton to the surveillance state. Fueled by a melding of government and corporate power—the rise of the security industrial complex—this watershed moment sounds a death knell ...

You’re Probably Already on a Government Extremism List

by John W. Whitehead January 26, 2024

“In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught.”—Hunter S. Thompson According to the FBI, you may be an anti-government extremist if you’ve: a) purchased a Bible or other religious materials, b) used terms like “MAGA” and “Trump,” c) shopped at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabela’s, or Bass Pro Shops, d) purchased tickets to travel by bus, cars, ...

Will TSA Steal Your Mug?

by James Bovard January 22, 2024

Dorothy Parker’s signature line, “What fresh hell is this?” is the new mantra for travelers at American airports. TSA is rapidly expanding a program in which travelers stand in photo kiosks that compare their faces with a federal database of photos from passport applications, drivers’ licenses, and other sources to see if people receive official permission to fly. What could ...

America’s National-Security State

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 1, 2023

The following is a nonverbatim transcript of a talk that I delivered on September 1, 2023, at the young scholar’s segment of the annual conference on foreign policy sponsored by the Ron Paul Institute and held at the Dulles Hilton in Virginia. The biggest mistake America has ever made was the conversion of the federal government to a national-security state. ...

Guns for Hire: America’s Crisis State Goes Global

by John W. Whitehead October 13, 2023

“Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people. From these great staffs, both of the old parties have ganged aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare they have become the tools of corrupt interests which use them in martialling to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ...

A State of Martial Law

by John W. Whitehead June 30, 2023

“What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?”—Thomas Jefferson The government is goosestepping all over our freedoms. Case in point: America’s founders did not want a military government ruled by force. Rather, they opted for a republic bound by the rule of law: the U.S. ...

How Police Use Public-Private Partnerships to Spy on Americans

by John W. Whitehead January 20, 2023

“We live in a surveillance state founded on a partnership between government and the technology industry.”— Law Professor Avidan Y. Cover In this age of ubiquitous surveillance, there are no private lives: everything is public. Surveillance cameras mounted on utility poles, traffic lights, businesses, and homes. License plate readers. Ring doorbells. GPS devices. Dash cameras. Drones. Store security ...

How We Got a National-Security Police State, Part 3

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 2023

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 On February 26, 1993, terrorists detonated a truck bomb in the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. While the bombing did not bring down the Twin Towers, as the terrorists intended, it did kill six people and injured over a thousand. That terrorist attack was no different in ...

The Surveillance State Is Making a List, and You’re On It

by John W. Whitehead December 14, 2022

He sees you when you’re sleeping He knows when you’re awake He knows when you’ve been bad or good So be good for goodness’ sake! —“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” You’d better watch out—you’d better not pout—you’d better not cry—‘cos I’m telling you why: this Christmas, it’s the Surveillance State that’s making a list and checking it twice, and it won’t matter whether ...

How We Got a National-Security Police State, Part 2

by Jacob G. Hornberger December 1, 2022

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 The coin of the realm in any national-security state is fear. In order to induce people to surrender their rights and freedoms, officials have to inculcate deep fear within them. Thus, national-security officials are constantly coming up with official foreign enemies, opponents, rivals, and adversaries, as well as crises, to ...

Techno-Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay

by John W. Whitehead November 16, 2022

“If this government ever became a tyranny, if a dictator ever took charge in this country, the technological capacity that the intelligence community has given the government could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back.” — Senator Frank Church The votes are in. No matter who runs for office, no matter who controls ...