Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History

Government Deception: The Straight Dope (2010-07-28) : 5/5
Judge Napolitano's new book is a scathing and unapologetic denouncement of the deceptive tactics the government employs on its people. He exposes 17 lies that the government would have you believe in order to advance its own agenda. For example:

Lie #1 "All Men Are Created Equal," Lie #8 "The Federal Reserve Shall Be Controlled by Congress," Lie #11: "We Are Winning the War on Drugs," Lie #17: "America Has a Free Market."

He devotes a chapter to each of the 17 lies and irrefutably shows how the government has diminished our civil liberties and continues to do so today. He is impassioned in his writing, but he maintains an honest, unbiased and even-handed treatment of the subject matter. He steers clear of conspiracy theories or conjecture, and sticks to just the straight facts you and I *need* to know about the government. It is of such importance that it has the ringing endorsement of Congressman Ron Paul.

Napolitano shows that some deception may not be as innocuous as they seem. Take for example, the government's claim that the FDA's mission is to protect public health. Is it? In reality, the FDA not only has an atrocious track record, it is an inefficiently run bureaucracy that costs taxpayers billions of dollars annually. More appalling still is that the FDA routinely bars the terminally ill from receiving new or experimental drugs that promise to save lives simply because these drugs have not been "FDA approved." Does the FDA really have our welfare at heart? Are we going to let the FDA control what we can or cannot put into our bodies?

Take another example: Ostensibly, the Federal Reserve is a government agency, but in essence, it is a privately owned entity (regardless of all the hoopla asserting otherwise). Its designation as being a "Reserve" would lead one to reasonably conclude that the American dollar is backed by gold. Nothing is further from the truth. The monetary system the government uses is a fiat money system, which means the money *isn't* backed by gold. Napolitano explains how such a system constitutes an "invisible tax" by the government.

Napolitano presents these and a myriad other examples of how our civil liberties are being infringed upon. His book is thought-provoking and an eye-opener to the way the government operates. It shows that knowledge is indeed power, and that blind allegiance and apathy is the antithesis to freedom. The message in this book is perhaps best embodied in one of Thomas Jefferson's greatest quotes: "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

Libido Dominandi (i.e. lust to dominate) (2010-07-24) : 4/5
Judge Napolitano makes a compelling case for the slow erosion of our civil liberties at the hand of big government. I wish he had gone into a bit more detail in regards to the National Firearms Act of 1934 (summarily covered in Lie #6) but aside from that one minor quibble, it is an excellent read. Once you have read it, don't be surprised if you start to look at those who work in government as having what Judge Napolitano calls "lidido dominandi", i.e. the lust to dominate.
Stumbles at the beginning but finishes strong (2010-07-21) : 4/5
Like most Americans Judge Napolitano mistakenly believes the equality clause of the Declaration of Independence refers to "men" as individuals rather than "men" as political societies or states. This error leads him to come down hard on many of the Founders who owned slaves, who protected slavery through law and had little concern for egalitarianism. A close reading of the Declaration shows Jefferson speaking on behalf of the people of the colonies and their right to assume among the nations of the earth the separate and EQUAL station which the Laws of Nature and Natures God entitle "them". His purpose was to explain to the world the reasons for the separation of the people of the British colonies from their ancestral connection to England. A good preface to understanding Jefferson's thinking in the Declaration would be his Summary View of the Rights of British America written in 1774. In that document he lays out the American case against British interference in the government of the free people of the several colonies. He uses the same language which was later used in the Declaration and makes clear that it is the people (men) of the newly created societies who are equal to any other political society in their political life, liberty, and pursuit of public happiness. Understood properly the Founders escape the charge that they were hypocrites when it came to the demands for liberty and equality.
Aside from this stumble at the beginning Judge Napolitano's book is a must read for anyone who takes their duties as an informed citizen seriously. Liberty and distrust of government go hand in hand.

Lies the Government told you (2010-07-18) : 5/5
Very good book. I learned a lot about how corrupt our government really is.
Confirmation That Power Corrupts (2010-07-14) : 4/5
Americans want to believe that their politicians will truly do what is in the best interest of the country and its citizens. Unfortunately, as Judge Napolitano tell us, they often don't. Politicians love power and will do almost anything to keep it or get more of it. Truth is one of the first casualties of most successful politicians.

I don't agree with all of the examples Napolitano comes up with in his book. He has strong opinions, which are fine, but occasionally he will come down on what I would consider the wrong side of an issue. Nonetheless, it is rare to read any book where you agree with everything the author has to say, particularly books written by political pundits. This book does serve the public interest in that there are too many people who seem to think that not only can the government run their huge bureaucracy efficiently (they don't), but should take over the private sector as well. Reading this book will be a powerful antidote for that kind of worldview.

If you are the kind of person who believes that government will always do the right thing and that politicians want to help you more than stay in power, then you really need to read this book. It will be an eye-opener.