Free Republic

Holy war can seem like something that happened long ago or that happens far away — the Crusades of medieval Europe, for example, or jihadists fighting secular forces today. But since their country’s founding, Americans have often thought of their wars as sacred, even when the primary objectives have been political. This began with the American Revolution. When colonists declared their independence on July 4, 1776, religious conviction inspired them. Because they believed that their cause had divine support, many patriots’ ardor was both political and religious. They saw the conflict as a just, secular war, but they fought it...

Other than the obvious American patriotic songs like "The Star-Spangled Banner" or "America the Beautiful" what are some other great American patriotic songs that could go on a 4th of July playlist?

Exclusive: Jerry Newcombe stresses founders' reverence for Creator-endowed rights Here’s a trivia question for you. The Statue of Liberty holds a torch in one hand. What is she holding in the other? It looks like a book, in tablet form. The answer is the Declaration of Independence, since the tablet is engraved with July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals. The great British writer G.K. Chesterton once said, “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.” Two hundred thirty...

Fortnight for Freedom 2013 is around the corner!The Fortnight, which begins June 21 and ends July 4 is a call for both prayer and activity on behalf of our first American Freedom — Freedom of Religion.From the USCCB website: The Fortnight for Freedom, which we celebrated for the first time last year, takes place from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day. Last year, we saw a great diversity of events promoting religious freedom across the country. In 2013, we face many challenges to religious liberty, including the August...

Well apparently a president can’t just make new lows for respect of American moral authority in one single term and then let it go at that. Nope. Apparently after getting stiff-armed by our ideological enemies once in the first Obama term- turning his back on American values and getting called out on it- the administration felt the need to demonstrate crumbling American might and values by going back to that well early in the second term too. During the first term, we suffered the embarrassment of the Chinese Communist who publicly lectured Obama about straying away from capitalism and taking...

It is the most easily-recognized flag in the world, the flag of the United States of America. It is the symbol of our great nation, a nation that was the envy and the desire of the world, and for so long, the light of nations for freedom and prosperity. Our nation is under attack from within, at the hands of those who run our federal government and other institutions. Even our flag, for many years now, has been a target of those who hate us. Some of us have become disheartened and weary of speaking out against the evil forces...

At least, as I remember it from some ... 58 years ago .. it is

Well apparently a president can’t just make new lows for respect of American moral authority in one single term and then let it go at that. Nope. Apparently after getting stiff-armed by our ideological enemies once in the first Obama term- turning his back on American values and getting called out on it- the administration felt the need to demonstrate crumbling American might and values by going back to that well early in the second term too. During the first term, we suffered the embarrassment of the Chinese Communist who publicly lectured Obama about straying away from capitalism and taking...

HGTV viewers are expressing outrage after the network suggested they use American flags as table cloths for Fourth of July celebrations, calling offensive, un-American and an insult to the American military. “Using an American flag as a table cloth dishonors all Americans who love Old Glory – especially those who gave their lives defending it,” one viewer wrote. “No one dies for a table cloth.” The HGTV website featured a segment titled, “Classic Fourth of July Table Setting Ideas.”The photographs show bowls of fruit and a jar of lemonade sitting atop Old Glory. They called the flag an “unconventional table”...

The final World War II veteran to serve in the United States Senate died on the eve of the 71st anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Frank Lautenberg’s passing is significant, and every American should understand why. Fifty-two years ago, fellow World War II vet John F. Kennedy told America that “the torch has been passed to a new generation.” That torch is now burning out; an era has ended, and many wonder if America will ever see another like it. To try and understand, go back seven decades to the empty sea west of Hawaii in June 1942. Only...

Memorial Day is a wonderful constant. Every year, it never ceases to touch me. My family attends an annual parade in Mercer, Pa. It’s terrific — total old-school. The flags, the courthouse, the kids, the snow cone stand, the marching bands, and, most of all, the troops from different wars — that is, the survivors who remain with us. Speaking of whom, Memorial Day always brings another constant, a sad one: each new Memorial Day brings fewer World War II veterans. They are leaving us at a rapid clip. Anyone who entered World War II at age 18 in 1945...

As I type my thoughts for this coming Memorial Day, it is my prayer that are worthy of surviving the flurry of other current events and will have an impact on those who read them and perhaps, will be referred to on other occasions and perhaps help drive the remembrance on future Memorial Days. I always experience a bit of dread as I ponder how to say something of relevance that goes beyond the standard “honoring those who gave all for our freedom” which gets circulated by so many writers while so many Americans head to the beach or prepare...

Once upon a time, we were One Nation Under God. Sure, America had its faults, but overall things were fairly good and we worked to make improvements. The government understood that its purpose was to safeguard the Rights (note the capital “R”) with which we were endowed by our Creator; and most other legislative matters were left to the states per the 10th Amendment. America had public servants, but these people were just that – servants. They were there to uphold the Constitution. That was then. This is now. Today we have two nations, peopled separately by what I’ll call...

The smoke and flame had not even dissipated before it was crystal clear that the terrorists had lost again. There was the flash, the boom, then a few brief moments to get their bearings before, almost as one, Americans began running toward the fire. It wasn’t just the cops and the soldiers. It was spectators, bystanders, even runners themselves who seconds before had been struggling to cross the finish line after 26 brutal miles. In one terrible moment that shredded bodies and lives, they went from being ordinary Americans to something extraordinary. Scratch that – “extraordinary” is the natural...

The first time? I remember that as if it were yesterday, even if it’s now 33 years’ worth of yesterdays ago. That was the evening of Friday, Feb. 22, 1980, and I was 13 years old, in the seventh grade, and I was working the scoreboard at West Hempstead High School for an evening filled with CYO basketball games. You could hear the buzz first, and it moved slowly around the old gym on Nassau Boulevard, because there was no texting and no tweeting and no email and no cell phones, just old-fashioned word of mouth, person to person, row...

Link in next post. Just beautiful.

I feel a tremendous responsibility to write this article though I am a little apprehensive. Thinking about the possibility of rising up against our own government is a frightening thing for many of us. I am not Johnny Rambo and I will be the first to admit that I do not want to die. The reason I feel compelled to write this, however, is simply because I donÂ’t think the average American is equipped with the facts. I feel that a lot of American citizens feel like they have no choice but to surrender their guns if the government comes...

Democrats are always so smarmy with throwing around the "dissent is patriotic" meme when Republicans are in power and complaining about a lack of respect for their leaders.Dissent is patriotic, but they've got it all wrong.From Super Conservative

Says dying America is 'gurgling, we've got our hand on the wound' Glenn Beck acts out a scene of rescuing a dying America during his broadcast Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Claiming that “America is hemorrhaging” and headed rapidly toward death, media giant Glenn Beck says he’s lost faith in many of the institutions that have made the U.S. such a great country, and it’s time to “surrender.” “When the government says they can use drones and just kill us without a warrant or a trial, my gosh, America certainly is dead,” Beck said during his broadcast Tuesday night. “I’ve lost...

Seldom do I ever use anything in my post that originates from an e-mail, and I do mean its is rare. However I came across an e-mail I had previously read.This particular e-mail has around in cypher-space since 2006 and the essay has found its way back to my inbox once again. The e-mail essay was written by a squared away Retired Marine, Sgt Major J. D. Pendry.Snopes indicates that the essay was properly attributed to, and the content is authentic. After much consideration I decided to post the essay. In view of the upcoming sequestration, I felt the essay...