Jim Bovard discusses the way the American surveillance state has slowly dismantled the fourth amendment, especially thanks to the FISA courts and the way they’ve enabled legal loopholes for spying on nearly any American citizen. Bovard cites interventions by the NSA and FBI as major factors in Trump’s failure to win re-election in November, and says similar activity has most likely compromised dozens of high-profile politicians in the past. All Americans should be able to agree that the intelligence apparatus is an obstacle to liberty and flourishing in this country.

Discussed on the show:

• “FISA and the Still Too Secret Police” (The American Conservative)
• “The lies and conspiracy theories from neocon ‘crazies’ that fueled Iraq war are subject of new history” (Mondoweiss)
• The Power of Positive Thinking
• “The top secret rules that allow NSA to use US data without a warrant” (The Guardian)
• “Clear and Present Danger (1994)” (IMDb)
• Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

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