James Bovard, an American author and libertarian commentator, fearlessly exposed government abuses and infringements on individual liberties through his incisive writings and investigative journalism. His relentless pursuit of truth and accountability served as a beacon of light in an era marked by increasing government intrusion and erosion of civil liberties.
"There has been so much power concentrated. There is no leash on that power anymore and Americans face the situation that this power is getting momentum with each passing year with each presidency."
"Part of the reason that the government's fear mongering is succeeding is because so many people are so ignorant, that it is easier for government to frighten people in submission."
"It is amazing to think after all that has happened in this country in the last few years, the last few decades, that so many people have this blind faith that government is our friend and therefore, so we don't need protections against it."
"It has been surprising to me that so few conservatives have voiced concern over the precedence that are being set in favor of suppression by this so-called conservative administration."
"The Federal Government is exploiting public fear to redefine the relationship between the rulers and the American people."
"The more expansive government is, the more perils people face in daily lives, be it from IRS agents or from child support services, or from other agencies that often have little or no legal restraints on their power."
"Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about the Bill of Rights most of the time."
"It is one of the great tragedies of the US, that most learn most of what they know about the government from the government."
"I was amazed at how easy it was for the Clinton Administration to basically cover what they did at Waco in the fog of lies and avoid any responsibility for it."
"People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good, for the public good, and bad government is when politicians lie for their own selfish interests."
"It is unfortunate that Americans are no longer aware of what the constitution says and what their rights are. Because of that, we are often very passive about what happens when the government violates those rights."
"With attention deficit democracy, I am trying to wake up people to how the combination of mass ignorance, fear mongering by the government, and lying politicians is putting our entire system of government to a death spiral."
"If an election is simply a one-day snapshot of transient mass delusions, then this is not a very noble form of government."
"Well, one of the first things is to restore the rule of law, to place the government back under the cage of law. Another thing is to stop falling for the myth of democracy."
"It is like we are obliged to assume that the government is only doing what it says it is doing."
"If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd in chief."
"There are a lot of benefits representative of government and it is far better than any type of dictatorial system and it is far better than a one-man rule situation."
"Some politicians are aware of the Bill of Rights. It seems that the opposition party is far more likely to invoke it, to wave it in the air, this is what we saw from a lot of republicans during the Clinton Administration, and we are seeing the same from Democrats under Bush."
"Politicians as a class are dangerous, that people who are seeking power over us are not, by definition, our friends."