Ode To An Icon -- An Unauthorized “Forward”

My initial attempt can be found below. The reason it’s not up here at the beginning is, for an Ode, I wandered into the weeds of history in an effort to provide a background of appreciation, the motive for writing it in the first place. Not good for ‘Ode’ material. The Subject is the star. Despite a couple decades scribbling for fun and very little profit, my Writing Discipline obviously needs oodles of work.

James Bovard is the star of this show. His latest work “Last Rights – The Death of American Liberty” should be released next week. Having had the privilege of a sneak peek at Chapter One, “Tyranny Comes to Main Street”. In my untrammeled opinion, “Last Rights” will be a well-earned Blockbuster. Anything less than a NYT “Best Seller” would be a sad testimony to the epidemic of Aggressive Ignorance and Contagious Apathy Jim’s books and articles have worked at inoculating citizens against for the 30 years I’ve known him.

Chapter One, “Tyranny Comes to Main Street”, comes on stronger than a wagonload of wet goats. Every sentence is an indictment of government tyranny writ plain and large. Reading a paragraph is to go a round with Mike Tyson, salient points landing like a left and a right, then an uppercut to the unprepared intellect of an uniformed reader.

This is Bovard at his Best. Over the years, many have rooted for Jim to cut loose, write exactly what he knows and thinks - but there were ‘editors’, some with ideological or tolerance issues. His inestimable knowledge from experience with What’s Going On in the dank depths of the DC Swamp, its proxies and inhabitants would be devastating if exposed. And now it is.

“We have an Impunity Democracy in which government officials pay no price for their crimes. Americans today are more likely to believe in witches, ghosts, and astrology than to trust the federal government. Washington’s legitimacy is in tatters thanks to a long train of bipartisan perfidy. If government is lawless, elections merely designate the most dangerous criminals in the land.

At a time when foreign democracies are collapsing like dominos, can America avoid becoming the “elective despotism” the Founding Fathers dreaded? The first step to reviving liberty is to recognize how far politicians have stretched their power. But nothing can safeguard freedom except the bravery of citizens who refuse to be shackled.”

Well? Are you one of the ‘brave citizens? Read “Last Rights” and find out. You might be amazed. Wake up and wake up those you love before that last domino crushes your future.

Ode to an Icon

First it was “Lost Rights – The Destruction of American Liberty” in 1994. By 1999 and the arrival of “Freedom In Chains”, Jim Bovard had become more than a regular guest on my various talk shows in major markets across the country. With each book that followed, we’d get together for another on-air yap fest. In between books, there were articles, C-PAC meetings, Libertarian conventions  and my “beer appreciation classes” at select DC hangouts. All added a depth of education and appreciation for the intricacies of Writing.

While the beer appreciation never rose to a head, my study and admiration for Jim’s writing style and ‘messaging’ spread like deep south kudzu – but in a good way. I had been scribbling screeds in one place or another during my flamboyant DJ years, usually retaliating for some criticism of the show by a local reporter or “columnist” in the local rag. Occasionally effective, they weren’t the best way to advance what I considered reasonably interesting observations of the events of the day, something that had become more important after morphing from DJ into Talk Show Host, sanctified by being selected for AM Drive on WABC/NY circa 1983. So I scribbled on.   

After a decade of more Miss than Hit, enter Jim Bovard.

During one subsequent off-air conversation, I mentioned the writing thing. Jim was very supportive. After reviewing a few trial balloons, Jim encouraged me to submit one to Lew Rockwell, founder and chairman of the Mises Institute and host of LewRockwell.com where Jim and other champions of Liberty are found. Despite OD’ing on Aprehension and Intimidation, I offered my first submission. Wonder of Wonders, it was accepted! Published October 16, 2003. Twenty years and 94 articles later, my 95^th was included in the 11/20 edition.

In the interim, I started my own blog, wrote 2 books, started a Substack series, and launched 2 podcasts, one of which – “The Two and Only” – features Jim Bovard as my indicted co-conspirator. 

None of these would have happened without the Full Monty encouragement, inspiration and occasionally nudged guidance from a pro. Jim Bovard.