Free Republic

In case you didn’t know, August 16 is National Rum Day. And honestly, I don’t care. In fact, the best way to not get me to drink a specific spirit is to tell me I’m supposed to drink it on a specific day. Give me a margarita on St. Patrick’s Day, when I’m supposed to be drinking Irish whiskey, but not on Cinco de Mayo, when I may well be drinking... Irish whiskey. You get my drift. And industry-created “days” of unknown origin are even more annoying. So let me be clear, I am not advocating that you drink any...

Unsustainable. The country is going bankrupt. Trump is the only path forward. CBO: Federal Interest Payments Now Exceed Defense Spending... Federal Debt: The Ticking Bomb in Your Wallet.. Grab your pay stub .. and see how much you paid in federal income tax…over 75% of that was effectively your contribution to interest on the debt .. This is where our federal government is today. It has spent so much more than it has taken in that it has racked up a $35 trillion debt. ... over 75% of that was effectively your contribution to interest on the debt last month....

Based on data from a U.S. Treasury report, the federal government has amassed $142 trillion in debts, liabilities, and unfunded obligations. This staggering figure equals 93 percent of all the wealth Americans have accumulated since the nation’s founding, estimated by the Federal Reserve to be $152 trillion. Unlike other measures of federal red ink that cover an arbitrary period, extend into the infinite future, or ignore government resources, the figure of $142 trillion applies strictly to Americans who are alive right now and includes the government’s commercial assets. Thus, it quantifies the financial burden that today’s Americans are leaving to...

The latest Harvard-Harris poll shows more slippage for incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris in the national polling. The pollster surveyed 2,358 registered voters between September 4 and 5 and found former President Trump in the lead by one point, 47 to 46 percent. When leaners are added in the race is tied up at 50 percent support for each. Here’s where things get a little tricky…. The pollster reports that Trump is the one slipping because the previous Harvard-Harris poll showed Trump leading by four points, 52-48 percent. However. That previous poll was taken all the way back on July...

Vice President Kamala Harris is losing momentum, as former President Donald Trump appears to be closing the gap, according to an Emerson College survey released on Thursday. The latest national survey of the presidential race found Harris leading Trump with 49 percent among likely voters — two points higher than Trump’s 47 percent. However, that is well within the survey’s ± 2.9-3 percent margin of error. It also reflects a shift away from Harris over the last month. In August, Harris saw 50 percent support from likely voters, and Trump came in four points behind, with 46 percent support. In...

Actress Selena Gomez surprised students at a Colorado high school to support a local volleyball team who publically pleaded for the actress to attend. Gomez made the unannounced visit at Telluride High School over the weekend while she was in town to promote her movie “Emilia Pérez” and students posted a bright orange sign asking her to perform the national anthem — suggesting two potential times between Aug. 30 and Aug 31. “They asked!! Couldn’t help it, it’s my first time in Telluride!” ... The “Only Murders in the Building” actress posted a carousel of the event with a video...

The key difference between NatCons and FreeCons has to do with the character of the current political struggle against progressives on the Left. FreeCons believe we are mainly involved in policy arguments. FreeCon signatory Yuval Levin, for instance, writes that our divisions are a family argument between two forms of liberalism: progressive liberalism and conservative liberalism—we are not, he assures us, in a “political fight to the death.” National conservatives, on the other hand, generally believe we are involved in what the late Angelo Codevilla called a “Cold Civil War”—or as third waver Victor Davis Hanson has put it, we...

Scheffler shoots course record 62 to win gold.. Scottie Scheffler shot a bogey-free course record 62 at Le Golf National on Sunday for a come-from-behind gold medal victory. Sure, the impact of the victory will have on his all-time legacy may not be up there with his two green jackets or even his two Ryder Cup victories. But it's no secret that this was his most emotional reaction to a victory. ... While standing on the podium for the medal ceremony, Scheffler burst into happy tears during the playing of the national anthem. ... Scheffler now shifts his focus to...

In the two or so weeks since becoming the anointed and appointed one, Kamala Harris has all but erased Donald Trump’s national lead. She’s also enjoying real momentum in the swing states. Last week, I said we would have to wait until this week before we could begin to understand the impact Joe Biden’s decision to drop out would have on the 2024 presidential race. Further, we would see how the Democrat Party (and corporate media, but I repeat myself) all but crowning Kamala the nominee impacted the polls. Well, now we know, and what we know is that former...

As Americans' political focus turns towards this fall's elections, the winner of the presidential race will be confronted with a national debt that's on pace to reach a record-setting level in the next four years, as well as looming deadlines that may force their hand on fiscal policy. A recent update to the federal government's long-term budget outlook by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that budget deficits are projected to widen from about $1.9 trillion this year to more than $2 trillion annually starting in 2030, before nearing $2.9 trillion in 2034. In that period, the debt held...

During an interview aired on Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that the current interest burden of the national debt is at a “normal” level, but President Joe Biden wants to cut the deficit “and doing that would be compatible with making investments in the economy that are necessary to support its growth. But we’re going to have to let important pieces of the Tax Cut[s] and Job[s] Act expire.” Yellen said, “Well, the debt — the ratio of debt to GDP — we have a very large economy, and the ratio...

South Africa’s new government is a “Government of National Unity” (GNU) between the formerly dominant African National Congress (ANC), the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), and the Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). The new government is the result of a coalition agreement that was announced Friday, shortly before a deadline to cast votes in Parliament for the country’s president. Current President Cyril Ramaphosa will be returning to office. The ANC fell from 57% in 2019 to just over 40% in the 2024 elections last month. The DA, with nearly 22% of the vote, was the second-largest party. The radical Economic Freedom...

This is a beautiful declaration of independence and a powerful presentation of arguments for renouncing US citizenship and repatriating as an American State National written by a veteran. The name of the author and link to the original affidavit have been withheld for discretionary purposes. This testimony is not associated with the American States Assemblies, although the case for expatriation is the same. It isn’t the best example of documentation for becoming a State National because living people do not issue affidavits - see annavonreitz.com/dontuseaffidavits.pdf. For best results, follow the Streamlined Correction Process Documents at tasa.americanstatenationals.org/correct-your-status and rely on your...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that a national abortion ban could not get 60 votes in the Senate, therefore the issue would be sorted out in the states. Host Kristen Welker said, “I want to talk about abortion which, as you know, is one of the biggest issues for people all across this country right now. Back in 2022 you said a national ban was possible. So as I sit here today I want to ask you, leader McConnell, would you support a federal ban on abortion?”

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business Scott Galloway stated that there’s a “striking” “double standard” in the treatment of campus demonstrations over the past week and stated that if he did the same thing to black students, “we’d call in the f*cking National Guard.” And “what is clear to me is that free speech is at its freest when it’s hate speech against Jews.”

President Biden sent his condolences for National Guardsmen and a Border Patrol agent who died in a recent helicopter crash Saturday. “These brave Americans dedicated their lives to protecting our nation,” Biden said in a statement. “They signed up knowing the risks and believing in the mission of serving their fellow Americans by keeping our nation safe. Our gratitude is profound, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.” “We extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones, as well as their colleagues in the National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol,” Biden continued.

The Economist magazine warns this week of the “growing peril” of a national conservatism that is spreading like wildfire around the planet. National conservatism is “dangerous and it’s spreading,” The Economist intones forebodingly in this week’s cover story. “Liberals need to find a way to stop it.” The cover features a red MAGA cap stretched vertically to fit a slew of nations following the lead of American populism: “Make America, Hungary, Italy, France, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland great again.” Image Today, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, and “a motley crew of Western politicians” have constructed “a statist, ‘anti-woke’ conservatism that...

In a move raising eyebrows, House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner declares a "serious national security threat" linked to Russia, intensifying concerns and prompting urgent calls for action. Turner's release of a letter on Wednesday regarding a purportedly destabilizing foreign military capability has ignited a flurry of speculation about the nature and credibility of the threat. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's evasive responses during questioning only fueled skepticism, leaving the public in the dark about the details. A CNN source claims the threat is "highly concerning and destabilizing," further stoking anxieties.

Andra Day performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII and received a rousing ovation from the fans at Allegiant Stadium. Day was tapped to sing the song last month as part of the NFL’s pregame festivities. Additionally, Reba McEntire sang the national anthem and Post Malone did "America the Beautiful." As Super Bowl Sunday arrived and Day sang, NFL fans on social media hurled criticism for the league having the Black national anthem performed. It started early in the day and continued.

if we take a close look at the three-party coalition led by Olaf Scholz, we see that the most enthusiastic backers of the Kiev Nazis are the leftist ‘green’ politicians, such as Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. ... German paper BILD now comes with a damaging report, based on leaked documents, stating that Baerbock’s grandfather was ‘an unconditional National Socialist’ who had read ‘Mein Kampf’ and fully stood with the Nazi regime. ... her grandfather was an officer in the Wehrmacht, and had been awarded one of the Third Reich’s highest military honors, the War Merit Cross with Swords in 1944,...