Free Republic

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni publishes occasional reports on what college students know. Nearly 10 percent of the college graduates surveyed thought Judith Sheindlin, TV's "Judge Judy," is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Less than 20 percent of the college graduates knew the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation. More than a quarter of the college graduates did not know Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during World War II; one-third did not know he was the president who spearheaded the New Deal. But it is little mystery why so many college students are illiterate, innumerate and resistant...

When "polar vortex," "below zero" and "rapid weather change" have become integrated into the vocabulary of every Chicagoan, it's snow wonder why: In 2015, the Chicago region saw its first population decline in more than two decades, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday. The Windy City's drop-off also was higher than any metropolitan area in the U.S. People are giving Chicago and Illinois the cold shoulder and migrating to states such as Florida, Arizona and Nevada, where they can enjoy warmer and much less moody climates. Can you blame them? Imagine lying poolside in the sunshine and not...

It’s absolutely heartbreaking that a man who is walking with a cane after being shot serving our country, is FORCED to walk to an event to hear a presidential candidate speak. He fought for our nation, and this is the respect he gets from these thugs? Shutting down free speech in America is NOT okay. In a normal world, our president would be holding a press conference to tell people they will be held accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, many Americans believe it is more likely our “President” is helping to organize these events behind the scenes with the major...

How many times can one remember where the National Rifle Association and the New York Times agree on an issue? One count them on the fingers of one hand, and have a few left over. However, when it comes to Barack Obama’s pick to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, an unexpected synchronicity occurs … of sorts, anyway.The NRA’s legislative arm accused Obama of showing “utter contempt for the Second Amendment and law-abiding gun owners” with the nomination of Merrick Garland: “With Justice Scalia’s tragic passing, there is no longer a majority of support among the justices for...

It’s no secret that Western campuses are dominated by progressivism. But certain indices of academics’ love affair with the far left still have the power to shock. The University of Victoria is inviting applications from students in its Pacific and Asian Studies program for two awards “in memory of the late Mao Tse Tung” — one to be applied for a study tour of China, the other to promote the study of modern China.Now the Mao Tse Tung Memorial Course and Travel Awards don’t amount, in monetary terms, to a hill of beans — a few hundred dollars together, barely enough to...

Millennials.They may not yet be the present, but they’re certainly the future. These young, uninitiated minds will someday soon become our politicians, doctors, scientists, chefs, television producers, fashion designers, manufacturers, and, one would hope, the new proponents of liberty. But are they ready for it?Time after time, particularly on college campuses, millennials have proven to be little more than entitled, spoiled, anti-intellectual brats who place far too much emphasis on feelings and nowhere near enough emphasis on critical thinking. To the millennial, words are cause for the creation of safe spaces, alternative ideas must be stifled, and anything they perceive...

The American media, over the past year, has been trying to work out something of a mystery: Why is the Republican electorate supporting a far-right, orange-toned populist with no real political experience, who espouses extreme and often bizarre views? How has Donald Trump, seemingly out of nowhere, suddenly become so popular?What's made Trump's rise even more puzzling is that his support seems to cross demographic lines — education, income, age, even religiosity — that usually demarcate candidates. And whereas most Republican candidates might draw strong support from just one segment of the party base, such as Southern evangelicals or coastal moderates,...

If you grew up in the 1960s or 1970s, then you know how relaxed everything used to be. Our parents never forced us to wear seatbelts, we pretty much at whatever we wanted, and were given way more responsibiity than we should have been given. It's a little sad kids today won't get to experience half the things we did, but looking back, there's a good reason why they won't. Were these 12 things we did as kids kind of dangerous? Yeah, maybe some of it was.

(CNSNews.com) - In a speech marking Women’s History Month, which was delivered at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated the decision taken by her husband’s administration to put young women in all combat roles in the U.S. military. “Thanks to brilliant, fearless women like General Vaught, today, more than 200,000 women are serving our country in just about every role and rank,” said Mrs. Obama. “They’re flying fighter jets, training new recruits; they’re graduating Army Ranger School--and I met those graduates. They are awesome. Fierce! And as you’ve already heard, they will soon be welcome in...

A Vermont college has banned the sale of energy drinks on campus because it said the drinks may lead to “problematic behavior” like “high-risk sexual activity” and alcohol abuse. Middlebury College, in Middlebury, Vermont, also said the beverages may affect students’ academic performance and lead to a culture of stress, Fox 2 Detroit reported. The Middlebury Campus, the college’s student newspaper, reported that the ban will take effect March 7. It applies to popular energy drinks like Red Bull, Rockstar and 5-Hour Energy. Although those products will no longer be sold on campus, students can still purchase them from retailers...

Donald Trump is rolling toward the Republican nomination for President of the United States. That is a sobering thought for many people. The Democrats seem determined to nominate Hillary Clinton who will be easy to beat in the general election next November; and this will present a nightmare scenario for many people. More than this, a Trump presidency will bring joy and renewed hope to millions of hard working, God-fearing Americans. Trump will deliver justice for those of us who have suffered while we watched helplessly as our nation has declined toward third world lawlessness over the past seven years....

Lower taxes, fewer labor rules, less state: in a country famed for its attachment to a protective social model, economic liberalism is the surprise trend among aspirants for France's 2017 presidential election. For decades, the French center-right eschewed the free market policies of Margaret Thatcher, sticking to the tradition of a strong dirigiste state and a generous public health and welfare system funded by high taxes. Now a neoliberal economic platform is the one issue on which a growing field of candidates for the center-right Republicans' primary planned in November all agree. This ideological shift is not confined to the...

The next justice of the Supreme Court will be an independent thinker with a strong intellect and sterling credentials - if President Barack Obama gets his way. Obama, in a post published on the SCOTUSblog website Wednesday, revealed the characteristics he is looking for in a nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Feb. 13. "First and foremost, the person I appoint will be eminently qualified," Obama wrote. "He or she will have an independent mind, rigorous intellect, impeccable credentials, and a record of excellence and integrity. I'm looking for a mastery of the law, with an ability to...

One upstate New York city is planning an unconventional approach to combating a growing heroin epidemic: Letting addicts shoot up on government property under the supervision of medical professionals. Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick unveiled his controversial proposal to open a supervised injection facility during an interview with The Associated Press released Monday. The facility would provide a space for users to inject pre-purchased drugs with clean needles under the watchful eye of healthcare professionals who could, in theory, keep them safe and direct them to addiction services."My father was a drug addict. He split from the family when I was...

Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina was not quite the train wreck for the not-Trump portion of the party that seemed likely after New Hampshire's multi-candidate pileup. Boosted by Nikki Haley's endorsement, Marco Rubio basically saved his campaign with a second-place finish, while Jeb Bush finished far enough back that dropping out became the only honorable option. But of course Kasich is still in the race, and showing no signs of departing. I haven't ever written about his path to the nomination, mostly because I've never thought he had one. But then again this year has defied reasonable expectations. The...

There's no shortage of scorn heaped upon millennials for their perceived sense of entitlement, laissez faire attitude toward work and obsession with technology. Now add this: They like to booze it up. Millennials -- in general, people born between the early 1980s and early 2000s -- last year consumed 159.6 million cases, or 42 percent, of all the wine sold in the U.S., surpassing baby boomers and Generation X, according to a recent survey by the Wine Market Council. Research also showed that younger drinkers are thirstier than older oenophiles, drinking an average 3.1 glasses, compared to 2.4 for Gen...

Seattle Parks and Recreation is facing a first-of-a-kind challenge to gender bathroom rules. A man undressed in a women's locker room, citing a new state rule that allows people to choose a bathroom based on gender identity. It was a busy time at Evans Pool around 5:30pm Monday February 8. The pool was open for lap swim. According to Seattle Parks and Recreation, a man wearing board shorts entered the women's locker room and took off his shirt. Women alerted staff, who told the man to leave, but he said "the law has changed and I have a right to...

Bernie Sanders said in tonight's Democratic debate that as a senator, he's well aware there is "an enormous amount of waste and inefficiency and bureaucracy throughout government." Asked if there are any areas of government he would like to reduce, Sanders said, "I believe in government, but I believe in efficient government, not wasteful government." Here's the exchange: WOODRUFF: Welcome back to the Democratic presidential debate. Before we return to our questions, we have a follow-up question from our Facebook group. And it is to Senator Sanders. Senator, it comes from Bill Corefield, he's a 55-year-old musician from Troy, Ohio....

As the Republican primary process heads south, with the next stop in South Carolina, an important factor will be lurking just below the surface: The Democrat voters’ thirst for free stuff now, free stuff tomorrow and free stuff forever. The support for Comrade Bernie Sanders among young people, who by definition have always been pampered and paid for, shows a lop-sided tilt toward the lure of something for nothing. A final pre-New Hampshire survey among 18 to 30 year olds showed nearly 90% backed Sanders, a man who has promised everything with little mention of how these “goodies” would be...

The Democrat Party presidential debates have been so snooze-worthy, it's enough to make you wonder if maybe the Democrat National Committee should schedule future debates sometime between Bernie Sanders' and Hillary Clinton's afternoon naps and the senior citizen early bird hour over at Golden Corral. At the very least, these Democrat candidates should chug some Geritol before taking the stage, which might inspire some positive policy proposals as opposed to all the misery they seem to find hiding under every rock across the country. In contrast, the message of real hope and change is coming from the other side of...