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Summary
Summary
Right-wing libertarian columnist Bovard reveals Bill Clinton as the next best thing to Adolf Hitler in his threat to American freedom. From the "Green iron fist" of environmental policy to the "plundering and blundering" IRS, it seems that it's a miracle we can still breathe. c. Book News Inc.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
Another of Bovard's harangues against the power of the federal government, this time focusing primarily on the Clinton administration's domestic policies and programs. Washington journalist Bovard (Freedom in Chains, not reviewed, etc.) charges fervidly that President Clinton has ""exploited and expanded the dictatorial potential of the U.S. presidency."" To back up this assertion, the author examines numerous government agencies (DOJ, FBI, HUD, EEOC, FEMA, EPA, ATF), programs (AmeriCorps), and policies (farm subsidies, the war on drugs, gun control, affirmative action, trade agreements)--and finds evidence of bad thinking and abuse of power everywhere he looks. AmeriCorps, he claims, is ""little more than social work tinged with messianic delusions,"" and FEMA's ""lackeys throw federal checks at everyone they see."" Bovard's use of name-calling, exaggeration, loaded language, and colorful images--he describes the DOJ and the FBI as ""competing for the best imitation of the Keystone Kops"" and Clinton's trade policy as ""slave to almost any pressure group that caterwauled on the White House steps""--are designed to stir emotions, not to promote reasonable discussion of controversial issues. While Clinton is seen as the worst abuser of government power, Republicans are also criticized, with the hapless Newt Gingrich receiving the brunt of Bovard's ire for his inability to deliver the goods that were ordered in the elections of 1994. The various news media are also heavily criticized for complicity and cowardice. But the author sees the problem going much deeper--and we are all part of it. Americans, Bovard says, must stop being subjects and become the self-reliant citizens the Founding Fathers envisioned. Replete with quotable lines, a diatribe well-timed to bring heat but little light to this fall's campaign. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Clinton-haters and some (though perhaps not all) libertarians will be the primary audience for this latest screed from a journalist who writes frequently for the Wall Street Journal, the American Spectator, and Playboy. "The Clinton administration," Bovard declares in his introduction, "stretched the power of government on all fronts." He endeavors to demonstrate that premise with chapters on AmeriCorps, the IRS, affirmative action, FEMA, the War on Drugs, search and seizure property forfeitures, trade agreements, HUD, farm legislation, the enforcement of disability protection and environmental legislation, gun control, Waco, Ruby Ridge, "The Reno-Freeh Whitewash Team," and Kosovo. This rather mixed bag includes at least a few complaints almost any reader will share, but Bovard's aggressive antigovernment sentiments will not be as universally accepted. Still, where Cato Institute publications are popular and any criticism of the man in the White House circulates, Bovard's attacks will have appeal. --Mary Carroll
Library Journal Review
Despite Bill Clinton's claim that the era of big government is over, Bovard (Freedom in Chains) portrays the President's terms in office as a nightmarish progression of unconstitutional federal intrusion into the individual rights of citizens. Bovard, a libertarian who believes that little government is the best government, calls for the dismantling of federal agencies, most notably the IRS, the FBI, and HUD. He convincingly shows how poorly planned and executed government responses contributed to the tragedies of Ruby Ridge in 1992 and Waco the following year, but he is silent about how the anti-government beliefs of Timothy McVeigh led to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. In addition to President Clinton, Bovard holds special contempt for Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI director Louis Freeh. The author relies on the assumption that charity and the inherent good will of people will provide an adequate safety net for the poor in the absence of federal programs. Although Bovard's views and remedies will trouble moderates, he documents in exacting detail numerous examples of government gone mad. This controversial work gives the reader much to ponder. Recommended for public libraries.DKarl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Chapter 1 Introduction | p. 1 |
| Chapter 2 AmeriCorps: Salvation through Handholding | p. 7 |
| Chapter 3 Plundering and Blundering: The IRS | p. 27 |
| Chapter 4 Affirmative Action, Now and Forever | p. 47 |
| Chapter 5 FEMA: Clinton's Greatest Snow Job? | p. 67 |
| Chapter 6 The Continuing Failure of the War on Drugs | p. 85 |
| Chapter 7 Searching Everywhere | p. 109 |
| Chapter 8 Forfeiture Follies | p. 129 |
| Chapter 9 Blockading Harbors for Free Trade | p. 147 |
| Chapter 10 HUD: The Eternal Boondoggle | p. 167 |
| Chapter 11 Freedom to Farm Washington | p. 187 |
| Chapter 12 Disabilities Dementia | p. 207 |
| Chapter 13 The Green Iron Fist | p. 223 |
| Chapter 14 Clinton's War on the Second Amendment | p. 245 |
| Chapter 15 Waco | p. 269 |
| Chapter 16 The Ruby Ridge Cover-up | p. 291 |
| Chapter 17 The Reno-Freeh Whitewash Team | p. 305 |
| Chapter 18 Kosovo: Moralizing with Cluster Bombs | p. 325 |
| Chapter 19 Conclusion: Clinton's Legacy versus American Liberty | p. 341 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 350 |
| Notes | p. 351 |
| Index | p. 415 |