John W. Whitehead

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of the Rutherford Institute. His new book, The Freedom Wars, (TRI Press) is available online at www.amazon.com. Whitehead can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org. Information about the Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.

The Tyranny of 9/11

“No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices.”? ~ Edward R. Murrow We’ve walked a strange and harrowing road since September 11, 2001, littered with the debris of our once-vaunted liberties. We have gone from a nation that took great pride in being a model of a representative democracy to being a … Continue reading “The Tyranny of 9/11”

Violence Begets Violence: The Orlando Shootings and the War on Terror

“Americans have been told that their government is keeping them safe by preventing and prosecuting terrorism inside the US… But take a closer look and you realize that many of these people would never have committed a crime if not for law enforcement encouraging, pressuring, and sometimes paying them to commit terrorist acts.” – Human … Continue reading “Violence Begets Violence: The Orlando Shootings and the War on Terror”

Censored, Surveilled, Watch-Listed, and Jailed

“You had to live – did live, from habit that became instinct – in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” – George Orwell, 1984 In past ages, those who dared to speak out against tyranny – viewed as an act of treason – were blinded, … Continue reading “Censored, Surveilled, Watch-Listed, and Jailed”

To France From a Post-9/11 America: Lessons We Learned Too Late

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” ― Benjamin Franklin “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack … Continue reading “To France From a Post-9/11 America: Lessons We Learned Too Late”

The NSA’s Technotyranny: One Nation Under Surveillance

We now have a fourth branch of government. As I document in my new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, this fourth branch came into being without any electoral mandate or constitutional referendum, and yet it possesses superpowers, above and beyond those of any other government agency save the military. It is … Continue reading “The NSA’s Technotyranny: One Nation Under Surveillance”

We Are the Enemy: Is This the Lesson of Ferguson?

If you dress police officers up as soldiers and you put them in military vehicles and you give them military weapons, they adopt a warrior mentality. We fight wars against enemies, and the enemies are the people who live in our cities – particularly in communities of color. – Thomas Nolan, criminology professor and former … Continue reading “We Are the Enemy: Is This the Lesson of Ferguson?”

The FBI: America’s Secret Police

We want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction. They are dabbling in sex-life scandals and plain blackmail. J. Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over, and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him. – President Harry S. Truman Secret police. Secret courts. Secret government agencies. Surveillance. Intimidation tactics. Harassment. Torture. … Continue reading “The FBI: America’s Secret Police”

Hollow Justice and Courts of Order in an Age of Government-Sanctioned Tyranny

By John W. Whitehead “The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of the people.” – Justice William O. Douglas Justice in America makes less sense with each passing day. A Michigan couple that has been raising chickens in their backyard as a source of healthy food for … Continue reading “Hollow Justice and Courts of Order in an Age of Government-Sanctioned Tyranny”

Turning America Into a War Zone, Where ‘We the People’ Are the Enemy

“If you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don’t argue with me, don’t call me names, don’t tell me that I can’t stop you, don’t say I’m a racist pig, don’t threaten that you’ll sue me and take away my … Continue reading “Turning America Into a War Zone, Where ‘We the People’ Are the Enemy”

‘Just Salute and Follow Orders’: When Secrecy and Surveillance Trump the Rule of Law

“The Secret Government is an interlocking network of official functionaries, spies, mercenaries, ex-generals, profiteers and superpatriots, who, for a variety of motives, operate outside the legitimate institutions of government. Presidents have turned to them when they can’t win the support of the Congress or the people, creating that unsupervised power so feared by the framers … Continue reading “‘Just Salute and Follow Orders’: When Secrecy and Surveillance Trump the Rule of Law”