Free Republic

I think this was around 1986 (or so)... when the nice rap was being taken over by the (future gansta rap) crap we see today.. This isn't bout rap, or any specific genre, but by users/people taking advantage of the 1st amendment. I think many here know what I am talking about.. but I also think many here are too young to remember before rap was even invented :p (not just about rap, but the degradation of not only music, but social norms in general).

Louis XVI, king of France, arrived in the wrong historical place at the wrong time and soon found himself overwhelmed by events beyond his control. Ascending the throne in 1774, Louis inherited a realm driven nearly bankrupt through the opulence of his predecessors Louis XIV and XV. After donning the crown, things only got worse. The economy spiraled downward (unemployment in Paris in 1788 is estimated at 50%), crops failed, the price of bread and other food soared. [...] In 1788, Louis was forced to reinstate France's National Assembly (the Estates-General) which quickly curtailed the king's powers. In July of...

While some are aware that 2D maps fail to accurately convey the scale of countries and continents on Earth, a mind-boggling new infographic reveals the true extent of this distortion. Historically, Mercator projection used in 2D cartology was favoured by sailors as it allowed them to keep their course - but this system is flawed. The further away destinations are from the equator the more distorted their size becomes.

The former American luxury liner was supposed to be docked In Philadelphia for 21 days; it’s been almost 21 years. Is time running out for the famous ocean liner? The SS United States is a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 for United States Lines. It was designed by American naval architect William Francis Gibbs to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record. Built at a cost of $79.4 million ($733 million in today’s dollars) the ship is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the US and the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic in either direction. Even in her...

Little Caesars founder and Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was well-known for his philanthropic efforts with veterans and the poor, which garnered him the praise of a succession of presidents. But billionaire Illitch - who died aged 87 on Friday - didn't stop sharing when he was out of the spotlight. And one of his friends wants the world to know that the businessman spent 11 years secretly helping a civil rights icon after she needed a new home.

General Buckner surrenders Fort Donelson and its Confederate defenders to General Grant.

A new report claims that Melania is living Donald’s dream, according to the viewpoint of Phillip Bloch, a friend and stylist to the Trump Family. Along with Bloch’s claims about Melania being unhappy, another Trump Family source claimed that Mrs. Trump is “miserable” about how her life turned out as the wife of a president. “Melania is unhappy with how her life ended up.” The publication points to many recent events that claim to be almost too much to bear for Melania, who is a “deeply private” person. As Melania spends most of her time at Trump Tower in New...

Damn the Torpedoes FULL SPEED AHEAD. Mr President....damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead.......a famous Civil War quote from a 63 year old Admiral Farragut ....in those days mines where called torpedoes.....The Union Admiral had lashed himself atop the mainsail to see high above the smoke (sounds like somebody you know?) upon seeing one of his ships hit a torpedo and sink and the rest of his fleet slow down, he commanded FULL SPEED AHEAD DAMN THE TORPEDOES .. . because of his rash/calculated leadership his fleet stormed through the minefield and gained a victory that captured the 3 Forts of...

A William & Mary student posted two pictures of a Thomas Jefferson statue stained with fake blood and a message reading: “Overseen: TJ caught with the blood of all the people he owned on his hands.”

USS Maine ACR-1 blew up and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba. As a result, 260 American sailors were killed or drowned.

From 1966 to 1999, the television series Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr. was a venue for debate and discussion on political, social, and philosophical issues with experts of the day. The broadcast collection includes administrative files, program preparation materials, photographs, transcripts, sound recordings, and videotape copies of the 1,505 programs. Preface With 1,504 installments over 33 years, Firing Line is the longest-running public-affairs show in television history with a single host, William F. Buckley Jr. The Firing Line archives consist of: tapes of all the shows; transcripts of all the shows; for about two-thirds of the shows, the...

Dresden's mayor has used the event to remind participants of the brutalities of war, even in the 21st century. During World War II, Allied forces firebombed the German city of Dresden, leaving 25,000 people dead. Around 12,000 people on Monday gathered in Dresden and joined hands to form a human chain in a message of "peace and reconciliation" marking the anniversary of the deadly firebombing of the city by Allied forces towards the end of the Second World War. The act aimed at reminding the participants of the brutal bombing, considered one of the Allied forces more controversial acts during...

Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera quit his position at Yale University after the Ivy League school announced it would remove the name of a pro-slavery lawmaker from one of its residential colleges. Yale's Calhoun College was named after Vice President John C. Calhoun, a 19th-century slavery supporter and white supremacist from South Carolina who attended Yale. Yale announced plans to rename Calhoun College after Grace Murray Hopper, an alum of the school and a renowned computer scientist and Navy rear admiral, the New York Times reported. Rivera announced his decision to resign from his position at the university on Sunday...

While modern technology ensures safety standards are maintained at the 80,000 dams across the US, extreme weather and maintenance issues have resulted in some serious dam failures over the past four decades. On Sunday, an urgent evacuation order was issued for 200,000 people living in northern California amid fears of an imminent collapse of the nearby Oroville Dam spillway. Oroville, America’s tallest dam, remains intact but the emergency spillway, which helps prevent water from overflowing when levels are high, is eroding. Heavy rainfall has filled the dam to the verge of overflow, posing a huge potential risk to downstream communities....

These dramatic aerial images show how ISIS seems hell bent on destroying the last remaining UNESCO treasures in Palmyra after recapturing the city. Drone footage captured by Russia's military shows how ancient monuments in the Syrian UNESCO World Heritage Site have been reduced to rubble by the terror group. The black-and-white video dated February 5 shows part of the Roman amphitheatre collapsed and the tetrapylon, a 16-columned structure that marked one end of the ancient city's colonnade, wiped out

If you want to inform yourself about what islam is, the dangers of islam, the background of islam, the goal of islam, and why islam is DIFFERENT than any other religion, you should read this page and watch the videos on it:..Video-16 min.

For many, February 14th has evolved to be the antithesis of romance, a day where a 50 per cent mark-up on a bunch of wilting red roses has become par for the course. Roll back the centuries though and wooing was an altogether more authentic affair. A set of Victorian Valentine's Day cards - including beautifully ornate designs in paper and cloth - show just how our 19th century counterparts won the hearts of their paramours.

eeing Yale finally alter the name of its Calhoun College, students at Clemson University are reinvigorating the debate over its Tillman Hall, named after founding trustee — and slave-owning white supremacist — Benjamin Tillman.

On the evening of February 13, 1945, the most controversial episode in the Allied air war against Germany begins as hundreds of British bombers loaded with incendiaries and high-explosive bombs descend on Dresden, a historic city located in eastern Germany. Dresden was neither a war production city nor a major industrial center, and before the massive air raid of February 1945 it had not suffered a major Allied attack. By February 15, the city was a smoldering ruin and an unknown number of civilians–somewhere between 35,000 and 135,000–were dead.

Youtube: The Battle Cry of Freedom (Columbia Masterworks recording) 1. Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys, We'll rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom, We will rally from the hillside, We'll gather from the plain, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom. CHORUS: The Union forever, Hurrah! boys, hurrah! Down with the traitors, Up with the stars; While we rally round the flag, boys, Rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom. 2. We are springing to the call Of our brothers gone before, Shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom. And we'll fill the vacant ranks With...