Reports of the Ebola-infected Liberian man in Texas remind us of the symbiotic relationship between the state and “threats” with which to bamboozle Boobus into parting with more of their money and liberty. The Defense Department needs a constant flow of enemies; the DEA needs state-defined “illegal drugs;” the Environmental Protection Agency needs pollution; and the Center for Disease Control needs epidemics to pursue.

The Best of Butler Shaffer