Free Republic

Mark R. Levin‏Verified account @marklevinshow President Trump's speech was very solid 8:07 PM - 21 Aug 2017 803 Retweets 3,607 Likes

When I talk about free speech, I often ask the audience two questions. First, did you know that the Supreme Court has been steadily expanding free-speech rights? Second, do you feel freer to speak now than you did five years ago? The answers are always the same — some variation of “no” and “heck, no.” The first assertion is undoubtedly true. Federal courts have consistently protected free speech from government interference and have been relentless in shutting down viewpoint discrimination. When government officials target speech because of a speaker’s views, they lose time and again. At the same time, millions...

Parents have expressed anger after President Donald Trump delivered a highly politicised speech to tens of thousands of boy scouts. Mr Trump started by saying: "Who the hell wants to speak about politics?" But his speech to the Jamboree in West Virginia railed against Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the "cesspool" of politics, drawing whoops and cheers. One parent wrote: "Done with scouts after you felt the need to have my kid listen to a liar stroke his ego." The Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America is held every four years and drew about 35,000 scouts from the ages...

What’s everybody’s big problem with small talk? There are memes about hating small talk, articles about dodging potential landmines in casual conversation and a move to end the practice altogether. With a new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on the horizon, the biggest hater of small talk, Larry David, is inspiring pieces on how to avoid it altogether. David has said on the show that he tries “to elevate small talk to medium talk” and he’s really not a fan of the “stop and chat” with an acquaintance. He’s not alone. This month Cosmopolitan UK described people who would “rather...

“Ads that perpetuate gender stereotypes will be banned in UK, but not in the good ol’ USA!” reads a recent headline at the Web site Jezebel. Yay to the good ol’ USA for continuing to value the fundamental right of free expression, you might say. Or maybe not. Why would a feminist — or anyone, for that matter — celebrate the idea of empowering bureaucrats to decide how we talk about “gender stereotypes”? Because these days, foundational values mean increasingly little to those who believe hearing something disagreeable is the worst thing that could happen to them.

Colleges should “screen” speakers to ensure that they are not giving a platform to “intolerant perspectives,” a University of Maryland student argues in a recent op-ed. “There is nothing inherently wrong with screening speakers, teachers and even students on the campus,” sophomore Moshe Klein declares in an op-ed for The Diamondback, arguing that “intolerant” points of view “prevent certain groups of people from participating in campus life safely.”

Shortly after his election in 2008, Barack Obama set out on an apology tour decrying the sins of America’s past and the era of American Exceptionalism appeared to be over. Friday on radio, Glenn and the guys talked about just how refreshing it was to hear President Trump step up to the plate and knock one out of the park for the western way of life and for freedom. “We haven’t heard that, you know, ‘hey, we are worth standing up for.’ This is a choice that people made and sacrificed to be able to have freedom. And here’s Poland...

ICYMI: WSJ Editorial: “Trump’s Defining Speech” “The White House description of Donald Trump’s speech Thursday in Warsaw was simply, ‘Remarks by President Trump to the People of Poland.’ In truth, Mr. Trump’s remarks were directed at the people of the world. Six months into his first term of office, Mr. Trump finally offered the core of what could become a governing philosophy. It is a determined and affirmative defense of the Western tradition.” Trump’s Defining Speech Editorial Wall Street Journal July 7, 2017 The White House description of Donald Trump’s speech Thursday in Warsaw was simply, “Remarks by President Trump...

President Trump's speech in Warsaw was a remarkable statement from a western leader in the 21st century - which is why the enforcers of our public discourse have gone bananas over it and denounced it as "blood and soil" "nativism" (The New Republic), "racial and religious paranoia" (The Atlantic), and "tinpot dictator sh*t" (some comedian having a meltdown on Twitter). Much of the speech was just the usual boosterish boilerplate that one foreign leader sloughs off while visiting the capital of another. But that wasn't what caused the mass pearl-clutching. This was the offending passage: There is nothing like our...

The very same human being reviled by his political enemies as mentally unfit to serve under the 25th Amendment was wildly cheered by a huge crowd in Warsaw, chanting, "USA! USA!" and "Donald Trump! Donald Trump!"  His speech delighted them, highlighting Poland's courage, endurance, and faith as a mainstay in defending our civilization, historically and now.  It was one of his best speeches ever. He was introduced by First Lady Melania Trump, who looked more comfortable and in command as a public speaker than ever before.  Perhaps living in the White House is solidifying her command of her role,...

This may be the most important speech given by our president to date.

In Warsaw today (7:15 a.m. ET), President Trump delivers what the White House sees as one of the most important speeches of his presidency. He won't identify himself with the nationalist populist ruling party in Poland, but has something grander in mind. The president will present himself as the leader of the West during an address to thousands of Poles in a public square. Trump's team, led by senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, saw an opportunity to use the story of the Polish resistance as the setting for a new rallying cry to Western civilization. From Trump's text: "The fundamental...

US President Donald Trump is to argue that the future of Western civilisation is at stake in a keynote speech in the Polish capital Warsaw. Holding up Poland as an example of a country ready to defend civilisation, he will warn against the threats of "terrorism and extremism". Poland's conservative government shares Mr Trump's hostile view of immigration and strong sense of sovereignty. Mr Trump is in Poland ahead of a G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. "Because as the Polish experience reminds us - the defence of the West ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will...

You tube video link: Trump’s Speech to Veterans

As a sociologist and legal scholar, I struggle to explain the boundaries of free speech to undergraduates. Despite the 1st Amendment—I tell my students—local, state, and federal laws limit all kinds of speech. We regulate advertising, obscenity, slander, libel, and inciting lawless action to name just a few. My students nod along until we get to racist and sexist speech. Some can’t grasp why, if we restrict so many forms of speech, we don’t also restrict hate speech. Why, for example, did the Supreme Court on Monday rule that the trademark office cannot reject “disparaging” applications—like a request from an...

In a never-ending battle of freedom versus authoritarian censorship, Evergreen College took center stage once again Thursday as the lawless Antifa gang faced off with the pro-Trump group Patriot Prayer and officers in riot gear. Even the presence of riot gear-clad officers wasn’t enough to keep lawless Antifa anarchists from attacking the peaceful free speech demonstrators and assaulting the event’s organizer, Joey Gibson, with pepper spray. The free speech rally came on the heels of a tumultuous few weeks at Evergreen College which started with an email from biology professor Bret Weinstein who responded he would not leave campus for...

As his city mourns two men who were killed after confronting a man screaming anti-Muslim slurs, Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) is calling on federal officials to block what he called “alt-right demonstrations” from happening in downtown Portland, Ore. His concern is that the two rallies, both scheduled in June, will escalate an already volatile situation in Portland by peddling “a message of hatred and of bigotry.” Although the organizers of the rallies have a constitutional right to speak, “hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment,” Wheeler told reporters.

Former Diablo Valley College professor of philosophy Eric Clanton was arrested Wednesday for bludgeoning three people in the head with a hardened steel U-shaped bike lock at a “free speech” rally in Berkeley last month. Clanton was booked into Berkeley Jail on three felony counts of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon that isn’t a firearm and assault causing great bodily injury, and a misdemeanor charge for wearing a mask to evade identification during the alleged attack. His bail is set at $200,000.

Two people were fatally stabbed after trying to intervene when a man was spewing "hate speech" on a Portland, Oregon train on Friday, police said. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was captured south of the Hollywood transit center shortly after the 4:30 p.m. stabbing on a MAX light rail train, Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson said.

I believe Riyadh is 7 hours ahead of ET.