War on Terrorism

Buy a Bible, Become a Terror Suspect

by James Bovard July 1, 2024

Americans are familiar with the Miranda warning that anything that arrestees say can be used against them in a court of law. But the Biden administration secretly created a new tripwire: Anything you purchase can be used against you. And if you didn’t want to be categorized as a “lone wolf” potential terrorist, you never should have bought that ...

The Many Ways Our Rights Have Been Usurped Since 9/11

by John W. Whitehead September 27, 2023

“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” — Abraham Lincoln Those who gave us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights believed that the government exists at the behest of its citizens. It is there to protect, ...

Movie Review: The Mauritanian

by Lance Lamberton September 14, 2023

If ever one were to doubt or question that the United States has become a national-security state, all he or she would need to do is see the movie The Mauritanian to dispel such doubts. Titled after the name of the obscure Arab country in Africa from which the protagonist is from, it is an inspiring true story of ...

Republicans Miss the Real Issue Regarding TSA Scanners

by Laurence M. Vance April 15, 2022

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is back in the news again, and, as usual, it is not because the agency did something noteworthy. The TSA was established by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (S.1447) that was passed by the 107th Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. No Republicans ...

9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Part 1

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 2022

Part 1 | Part 2 Declaring that “veteran suicide is one of the greatest crises of our time,” Boston’s NPR news station, WBUR, reported that “since Sept. 11, 2001, just over 30,000 veterans have died by suicide — four times more than the number of U.S. military personnel who died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The website military.com ...

The Tragedy of 9/11 and the Afghan Debacle

by Richard M. Ebeling September 20, 2021

The American people have been sorrowfully marking the 20th anniversary of the disastrous events of September 11, 2001, when a band of hijackers gained control of several commercial airlines and crashed them into the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., with a fourth plane brought down in Pennsylvania by passengers resisting the terrorists ...

The Government’s War on Domestic Terrorism Is a Trap

by John W. Whitehead February 5, 2021

This is an issue that all Democrats, Republicans, independents, Libertarians should be extremely concerned about, especially because we don’t have to guess about where this goes or how this ends. What characteristics are we looking for as we are building this profile of a potential extremist, what are we talking about? Religious extremists, are we talking about Christians, evangelical ...

“Extremism” as a Ticket to Tyrannize

by James Bovard October 1, 2020

“Extremists” are one of the famous bogeymen that American politicians invoke to sanctify their own power. But the definition of “extremism” has forever been in flux. The only consistent element in definitions of extremism is that politicians always win. In the 1770s, people who suggested that the king of England had no right to rule America were considered extremists. Even ...

An Impulsive Bill that Eviscerated America’s Civil Liberties

by Brian Miller October 28, 2019

The USA PATRIOT Act provides a textbook example of how the United States federal government expands its power. An emergency happens, legitimate or otherwise. The media, playing its dutiful role as goad for greater government oversight, demands "something must be done." Government power is massively expanded, with little regard for whether or not what is being done is efficacious, ...

The TSA’s Secret Watchlist for Travelers Who Don’t Kowtow

by James Bovard November 1, 2018

“I need a witness!” exclaimed the worried Transportation Security Administration screener at Reagan Washington National Airport a few months ago. Because I had forgotten to remove my belt before going through a TSA scanner, he explained that I must undergo an “enhanced patdown.” I told him that if he jammed my groin, I’d file a formal complaint against him. ...

Freedom Frauds: My Latest Clash with TSA

by James Bovard October 22, 2018

Have you ever had an enhanced pat-down from a TSA agent? Jim Bovard has--and he didn't like it. Go to the audio podcast. View other episodes of Freedom Frauds.

Freedom Frauds: Are We All Terrorists 17 Years After 9/11?

by James Bovard September 11, 2018

Something wicked this way comes? The War on Terrorism has has turned our country into a surveillance society where everyone is a terrorist. Jim Bovard launches his new video podcast series with this inaugural episode. Go to the audio podcast. View other episodes of Freedom Frauds.