Free Republic

NEW YORK - Andray Blatche of South Kent Prep in Connecticut believes it would be a good idea for the NBA to raise the minimum age to 20. He just doesn't think it's a good idea for him. Blatche will be entering this June's NBA draft, and his performance - 26 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks - in Saturday night's Jordan Classic high school All-Star game likely left a positive impression on the numerous NBA scouts in attendance. But prep stars Blatche, Louis Williams, Martell Webster, Gerald Green, Monta Ellis and others could become the last group of high...

Should a serious research university consider hiring a fascist? This question doesn't have an easy answer. After all, prior to World War II Europe produced several brilliant political theorists and philosophers who could be characterized as fascists, or proto-fascists, including Joseph de Maistre, Carl Schmitt and Martin Heidegger. Whether, post-Auschwitz, it's possible even in theory to advocate similar views in intellectually plausible ways is an interesting question. It is not, however, a question that has any relevance to the case of University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill, despite the obvious fascistic streak in Churchill's writings and public performances. As a...

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that he signed an order to immediately expropriate the assets of Venepal, a bankrupt paper company that halted operations last month. Chavez met with former Venepal employees to sign the expropriation order. The workers vowed to rebuild the company with the help of the government and manufacture books and notebooks the government could use in public schools and other education-related social projects. Chavez, a self-described "revolutionary" and critic of unbridled capitalism, said Venepal's expropriation is a step in Venezuela's new economic self-development model. "We're at war against poverty and against misery in Venezuela," he...

There have been many contests for the soul of America, some predating the founding of the country but forming the bedrock America was built upon. Fortunately for us, ours is a legacy of builders, not adventurers. The treasures of the Aztecs and the Incas were not to be found on the North American continent, which I believe was one of the greatest fortunes of history for what would become the United States. The English colonies by and large attracted people intent on building a life, not personal fortunes. Our heritage is that of Puritans and Catholics escaping religious persecution. Our...

Burning Man, infamous for its drug-fueled debauchery in the wind- whipped Nevada desert, may seem like the last place to haul the kids for a family vacation. But the annual experiment in radical self-expression, communal living and massive interactive art is becoming something of a counterculture Disneyland as increasing numbers of Burners from the Bay Area and beyond are bringing their young ones to Black Rock City. To the uninitiated, a dry lakebed in the middle of nowhere -- plagued by dust storms and extreme temperatures and inhabited by no small number of naked people -- sounds like no place...

I saw a piece in this week's Newsweek about these. A nice, happy, safe zone for you to get snuggly huggies from strangers who will validate your inner child and needs for intimacy. Thirty bucks a pop.

Thank you, everybody, for being here today. I'm very grateful you came out today to listen to me and hear my thoughts. We just spent a weekend in this country thinking about fatherhood. I couldn't be with my son this weekend, but he sent me the most beautiful picture. It's a picture of him in a James Bond costume. He's got an oversized tuxedo on, and he's got a hat that is way too big, and kind of askew. He's got this look on his face, and I think he's trying to be cunning, but he looks a little bit...

The snow shovels may come out of hibernation this weekend, when cold fronts moving in from the north and south dump several inches of the white stuff across Boston and outlying areas. And state-contracted plow drivers are considering sitting the storm out. ``Saturday looks ugly,'' said Alan Dunham of the National Weather Service in Taunton. ``There's a possibility of more than 6 inches of snow. We don't expect the snow to clear up until Sunday morning.'' That could mean bad news for drivers if snow-plow operators in a contract dispute with the state refuse to show up when called to...

If, as Kofi Annan said at the United Nations this week "the last 12 months have been very painful to those of us who believe in collective answers to our common problems," let's hope the U.N. General Secretary listened carefully to President Bush's remarks before the General Assembly. "The Security Council was right to be alarmed," Bush said, referring to the 17 Security Council resolutions on disarming Saddam Hussein. "The Security Council was right to demand that Iraq destroy its illegal weapons and prove that it had done so. The Security Council was right to vow serious consequences if Iraq...

Lithuanians, Jews, Nazis, the Holocaust, and Collective Guilt By Andrew L. Jaffee, August 14, 2003 Home   Search   Forum   Terms Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. - Jesus of Nazareth, from the Gospel of John "All Jews are communists." "All Lithuanians are Nazis." Have you heard these things said before? I have. A recent visit to the State Jewish Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania spurred me to think very carefully about collective guilt and the Holocaust. Being an American of both Lithuanian and Jewish ancestry has sometimes put me in an awkward position. First, I'm born and raised American--you know,...

The Declaration of Independence and the Second Amendment share something in common; they both have preambles. The Second Amendment is the only amendment enumerated in the Bill of Rights that contains a stated purpose, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State..." This is a preamble, an introduction, a preface, a whereas,--not a therefore. "What is special about the Amendment is the inclusion of an opening clause--a preamble, if you will...No other clause is a part of any other Amendment." L. Tribe, American Constitutional Law. "Many gun control advocates argue that the unique 13-word preamble...

For the past several months the King County Council has considered a proposal which I introduced to build a "sister-county relationship" with Granma Province in Cuba. The measure has sparked heated controversy at the council. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and right-wing groups have denounced me as a communist and an enemy of democracy. I recently led a delegation from King County to Cuba (I paid my own expenses) and Granma Province on a fact-finding mission to explore building this relationship. I met hundreds of wonderful people who love Americans but scorn the American government. I met people...