Free Republic

Back in March we talked about the decision by the Library of Congress to stop using “offensive terms” like illegal alien to refer to, er… illegal aliens. Shortly thereafter, Republicans in Congress moved to attach language to the pending appropriations bill which would require the Library of Congress to stick to terminology as it exists in current federal law. But since it hasn’t passed yet, the Library is moving forward with the changes and keeping up the debate in the media. (New York Times) “There is no other way to put this: the library has bowed to the political pressure...

The other day in Wurzburg, Germany a 17-year-old Afghan refugee boarded a train carrying a knife and ax. Then he went to work. Four passengers -- Chinese tourists -- are in serious condition. Others were less seriously injured. Many aboard the train were treated for shock. The kid’s Lizzie Borden routine was accompanied by his shouts of “Allahu Akbar.” Beforehand, in a video, he had declared himself a soldier of the caliphate. Among his possessions was a homemade flag that resembled an Islamic State banner. German police gunned him down as he attacked security while attempting to flee. The attack,...

Riding a bike around Annapolis, I note that the flags at the Old State House, the Naval Academy, and the library are at half-staff again. This time for Nice, France. Or is it Dallas? Or Baton Rouge? I confess I lose track. It seems the flags have been at half-staff most of the time since President Obama took office. It also seems the pace of terrorist attacks is picking up. Secretary of State John Kerry thinks this is proof that ISIS is on the run. How fatuous. That’s rather like saying the German troops marching through the Arc de Triomphe...

The political conventions seem to birth new political stars every four years and this year’s Republican National Convention was no different. In 2004, a virtually unknown senator from Chicago gave an electric speech at the Democratic National Convention that thrust him into the international spotlight and set him on a path to the White House. That man was President Barack Obama. This year’s GOP convention didn’t just produce a new rising star -- it birthed a whole dynasty of superstars. The world now knows why political pundits have been calling Donald Trump’s family members his secret weapon. Trump’s wife and...

We are just now entering the age of industrialization, newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte said recently, explaining why the Philippines will not ratify the Paris climate accords. “Now that we’re developing, you will impose a limit? That’s absurd. It’s being imposed upon us by the industrialized countries. They think they can dictate our destiny.”More developing nations are taking the same stance – and rightly so. They increasingly understand that fossil fuels are needed to modernize, industrialize, and decrease poverty, malnutrition and disease. Many supported the 2015 Paris climate treaty for three reasons.They are not required to reduce their oil, natural...

After his address at the Republican national convention in Cleveland on Monday, it would be inaccurate to declare that a star is born, because it's been clear for some time that Tom Cotton's performance has been stellar all along. Whether he was at Harvard, with the military, or in the U.S. Senate, he's taken stands no one else might dare -- and backed them up with a courage that springs from conviction. This boy from Dardanelle, Ark., in Yell County -- Mattie Ross country -- has grown into a man his family, his state and now his country can be...

We all claim to hate the “establishment.” And why not? Look at the mess around us. It’s obvious that the folks in charge haven’t done a very good job. But who is the establishment? The term gets tossed around a lot as an insult these days – even by some people who sure appear to be part of it. There’s a lot that can go into being a member. Education, job, philosophy, position, mindset. All matter. But attitude trumps experience. Some of those campaigning against the establishment assume that anyone holding office is a member. That’s a big mistake. Many...

When communication about the unspeakable stupidity of the recent U.S. 231 rock-throwing incidents first popped into my email inbox a couple months back, the subject line made me gasp. "Rock throwing arrests," read the line heralding arrival of an email from Owen County Prosecutor Don VanDerMoere, a likable former deputy prosecutor for Putnam County who still keeps in contact. Before I could even click to open it, my heart was pounding and my mind went to thoughts like, "Oh, my god they finally caught those guys." However, it was a leap of faith to a wrong conclusion. Instead we have...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: What a week. It had everything. And it's still not over. Donald Trump continues to surprise even when you think he can't surprise you anymore. It's great to have you with us. It's great to have you here every day. Open Line Friday. That means that you get to talk about whatever you want to talk about, and I think I have a pretty good idea what you're gonna want to talk about, so we'll make an extra effort here to make sure that you get your chance. Telephone number is 800-282-2882, and the email address is...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Don't let me forget this, Mr. Snerdley -- I'm gonna make some predictions for you about what we're gonna see at the Democrat convention next week. It's gonna bear out everything I've said since the beginning of this program today. For example, I'll just give you one heads-up. Patricia Smith, the mother of one of the four killed at Benghazi, was ridiculed, was lambasted, was ripped to shreds, was destroyed by the Democrat Party and the media for having the audacity to take the stage at the Republican convention and talk about the death of her son....

Tuesday night at the Republican Convention, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie indicted Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration for, among other things, their capitulation to Cuba without securing the return of Black Liberation Army (BLA) leader Joanne Chesimard. Undoubtedly many viewers asked themselves, "Who is Chesimard? How does our government allow this fugitive refugee to remain in Cuba? How many other fugitives from American justice do the Castros protect?"Joanne Chesimard is a murderer. Joanne Chesimard now calls herself Assata Shakur. Assata Shakur is a cop killer. BLA leader Assata Shakur / Joanne Chesimard, the cop killer, is the inspiration behind...

As was recently shown, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, with its central claim that police around the country are hunting and killing innocent black men, is a lie. Yet the BLM myth is enmeshed within a larger narrative, a narrative of eternal White Racism. And couched within this tale are distortions and outright crucially false ideas of slavery. In the interest of that “honest discussion” of race that the Eric Holders and Barack Obamas of the world claim to want, I submit considerations without which no such discussion can be had.One glaringly inconvenient truth that, odds are, few folks...

Old joke: What do you get for the man who has everything? Penicillin. That would be more apropos if Bill Clinton were running for president again instead of his wife, but the question remains: What does Hillary Rodham Clinton actually want? The Clintons like money. This is obvious. It seems to me that Bill likes it a little more intensely than Hillary does, being, as he is, a deeply insecure man who has spent his entire life keeping score: Whether it’s his net worth or his approval polls or bedpost-notching, Bill Clinton has always looked to quantify his value as...

Ted Cruz essentially gave a career-ending speech at the GOP convention on Wednesday night. Cruz's speech was a slap in the face to GOP nominee Donald Trump. "Vote your conscience" is a wonderful-sounding phrase. But we all know what he meant: Don't vote for Donald Trump. I was in the convention hall and the crowd's reaction was unbelievable. It started out as a few hands waving in the air and some booing, and then it just grew and grew throughout the entire convention hall. And then boom! It was absolute bedlam. I've been to most of the GOP conventions since...

My oldest granddaughter is 15, and thanks to North Carolina’s HB2, if a 15-year-old boy in her school identified as a girl, he would not be allowed to play on her sports team or share her locker room. I for one am glad that North Carolina, my home state since 2003, has taken a stand for common sense, for safety, and for privacy, yet the NBA is punishing the state for protecting its residents, announcing that it will pull next year’s All Star game from Charlotte. What hypocrisy; what bigotry; what intolerance. The NBA is now the National Bullying Association.Let...

The self-righteousness and smugness of Ted Cruz in refusing to endorse Donald Trump, then walking off stage in Cleveland, smirking amidst the boos, takes the mind back in time. At the Cow Palace in San Francisco in July of 1964, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, having been defeated by Barry Goldwater, took the podium to introduce a platform plank denouncing "extremism." Implication: Goldwater's campaign is saturated with extremists. Purpose: Advertise Rocky's superior morality. Smug and self-righteous, Rocky brayed at the curses and insults, "It's a free country, ladies and gentlemen." Rocky was finished. He would never win the nomination. Richard Nixon took...

We can't have President Trump, and she could do more to advance conservative ideas than he would. With the theatrics and tumult of the Republican National Convention behind us, many Republicans remain steadfast in their opposition to Donald Trump to be president of the United States. The reason is simple: Their conscience says he does not reflect their principles, nor those of our Republican Party. Trump’s isolationist approach, bombastic rhetoric and ignorance of issues are not things we can be proud to support. The president is the commander in chief, a role model for our children and America’s top ambassador...

“Turkey has a large armed force, professional armed forces and... I am certain they will continue as a committed and strong NATO ally.” On Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg insisted that the purge of thousands in the Turkish military – including a third of the serving generals – did not weaken the military. Stoltenberg told Reuters, “Turkey has a large armed force, professional armed forces and... I am certain they will continue as a committed and strong NATO ally.” It would be interesting to know whether the 1,500 US soldiers who have been locked down at Incirlik Air Base along...

What an Honest Discussion on Race Would Look Like And why Obama and the Left would avoid it like the plague. July 22, 2016 Jack Kerwick    On Thursday, July 14, Barack Obama held a nationally televised “town hall” meeting on American race relations—and, unsurprisingly, punted on that “honest” discussion of race that he and his ilk accuse the rest of us of deferring. A truly honest discussion of race, you see, threatens the Racism-Industrial-Complex (RIC) or, alternately, Big Racism. A truly honest discussion of race would mention that for virtually every kind of crime, blacks are perpetrators in...

The Republican National Convention's rowdy chants about Hillary Clinton -- "Lock her up!" -- have caused liberal journalists to get extremely distressed. In its lead editorial on July 21, The Washington Post fulminated that team Trump's "descent from standard red-meat partisanship to unprecedented accusations of criminality displays contempt for the rule of law and a startling disinterest in fact and reason." That's strong brew. It's too bad for them that it's completely false. Somehow, the Post writers are acting like they were born yesterday, or slept through the last Republican presidency. They've chosen to overlook that their liberal friends in...