Free Republic

Last night I was reading a short book by the French historian Alain Besançon in which he takes stock of the meaning of Nazism and Communism, in part by comparing the two totalitarianisms. This paragraph jumped out at me: The psychological state of the militant is distinguished by his fanatical investment in the system. This central vision reorganizes his entire intellectual and perceptual field, all the way to the periphery. Language is transformed: it is no longer used to communicate or express, but to conceal a contrived continuity between the system and reality. Ideological language is charged with the magical...

Newly minted Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew (NJ) spoke to Fox News’ Eric Shawn on Sunday. Toward the end of their discussion, Shawn asked Van Drew about an upcoming Trump rally scheduled for January 28 in his district (NJ-02).Unbelievably, there have been over 100,000 ticket requests for a venue that holds only 7,400. It’s been exciting and I’m proud to say out of all the events he’s done all over the country, we’ve had the most ticket requests. He’s coming to support me and my reelection. He’s coming to speak about his issues and we are really proud to have...

Smash and grab robberies are rampant in San Francisco, where authorities do very little to discourage them. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, more than 31,000 people reported smash and grab robberies in the city in 2017 alone. Hoping to document such a robbery, “Inside Edition,” a television program, placed GPS trackers inside items in a car parked in an area well known for theft. The items were a $250 speaker and a purse. “Inside edition” also placed video cameras throughout the car to be able to record the expected smash and grab. Sure enough, as Fox News reports, two...

Today, the Commonwealth of Virginia, home to four of our very first presidents—framers and founders who shaped the nation we are today—triumphantly reaffirmed its place as a leader-state. Delegate William Wampler’s office confirmed to me that at least 25-30,000 Second Amendment supporters surrounded the state capitol on Monday. This had to be the largest gun rights rally ever, entirely surpassing the 10,000 people that the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) was anticipating in front of the Capitol, while VCDL lobbied legislators inside the building. This was “lobby day”—a longstanding tradition—after all. Meanwhile, media estimates ranged from 22,000, or more. Every...

It's a new decade,* so it's time for a new round of panic about the weather killing us all. Swedish child-priestess and chronic truant Greta Thunberg is at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, because that's where the spotlight is. And she's scolding all the grown-ups for not doing what she wants when she wants it, because Veruca Salt wasn't fictional.I was scared of the Boogeyman when I was little too. I just didn't have crowds of adults applauding my cries of fear: Watch Greta Thunberg admonish world leaders for doing "basically nothing" to reduce...

Most moderate-sized American cities are dominated by two structures: bank buildings and hospitals. The former are often large and new because it’s where we like to put our money. The latter are large because we’re afraid to die and don’t want to be sick. Both are particularly modern structures. You could travel to ancient Pompei, were it to be completely reconstructed. You would find neither bank nor hospital. Of the two, hospitals came first. Ancient Greece and Rome had doctors. They worked with herbs, and even performed fairly simple surgeries. The “Hippocratic Oath,” sworn by modern doctors as part of...

During his opening remarks in the Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump's lawyer Jay Sekulow quoted Democrats' own words against them. He condemned the House Democrats' rush to impeach Trump, adding an article of impeachment for "Obstruction of Congress" rather than litigating a matter of executive privilege in court. He quoted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), each of whom defended Barack Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder when he was held in contempt of Congress in 2012. "Mr. Schiff did say the courts don't really have a role in this. Executive privilege?...

Known to rarely speak in hearings, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas' voice is given center stage in an upcoming documentary. "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas In His Own Words" features his faith, political awakening, judicial philosophy and the role race has played in his life. Premiering nationwide in select theaters Jan. 31, the film includes Thomas' reflections on the contentious 1991 Senate confirmation hearings led by Joe Biden, who now is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Joe Lockhart: "Senators on the floor are sworn to silence and have no electronic devices. So how is this Senator tweeting? Did he sneak a phone in. Is he willing to go to prison? Or is the tweet from someone other than Cruz. @jack you should investigate" Ted Cruz: (click link or view thread comments to see image)

Spoiler alert! If you want to wait until the end of Senate trial to know the outcome, don’t listen to the interview below with Hugh Hewitt and Sen. David Perdue (R-GA). If, however, you’re among the 99% of Americans who know how this partisan theater will conclude, Perdue reminds us that Senate Republicans aren’t inclined to endorse House Democrats’ process or product. That means no witnesses to supplement their case, Perdue says, or any witnesses that haven’t already testified in the House. “I am very clear,” Perdue concludes “that no witnesses should be called outside the scope of these...

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today signed S2555, allowing New Jersey students who are children of H-1B visa holders to qualify for in-state tuition at public institutions of higher education. “New Jerseyans deserve equal access to higher education, and today we are taking another step toward making that possible,” said Governor Murphy. “I’m proud to sign the legislation to help our students achieve their education goals, pursue a successful future, and live their dreams here in their home state.” S2555 exempts dependent students whose parents or guardians hold H-1B visas from paying out-of-state tuition provided they meet certain criteria, including...

With teen climate-change icon Greta Thunberg in the audience along with world leaders, President Trump declared he rejects environmental "prophets of doom" in a speech Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "To embrace the possibilities of tomorrow we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the Apocalypse," he said. "They are the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers, and they want to see us do badly but we won't let that happen." Trump said they "predicted an overpopulation crisis in the 1960s, mass starvation in the 70s, and an end of oil in...

Last week, liberal media outlets latched onto the latest horrific example of bigoted Christians forcing their morality on everyone else: a Christian school expelling a girl for posting a picture of herself wearing a rainbow sweatshirt and eating a rainbow cake on Facebook. According to the girl's mother, the Christian school rushed to judgment and expelled her daughter, who isn't even gay, over a birthday cake!

Scientists have discovered a new cell in the immune system that can kill many types of cancer, which they hope could one day be used to create a "one size fits all" treatment for the disease.In mice experiments and in lab dishes, the team showed that a new type of what are known as T-cells could detect a range of cancerous cells, while differentiating them from healthy cells.A T-cell is a type of white blood cell in the immune system, which both helps to fight off infections as well as cancers. These new T-cells and their special receptors can home...

Today’s CG from The Arkansas Gazette. PFK ELKJPKGP JUP WT TJSPF GWBK YJAG SG PW GSBHZA EKP IH JOY TJUK JOWPFKL YJA. --JBA EJPZSTT You can find this little fun word game, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications. The way it works is a letter stands for another letter. For example: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW (does not apply to today's cryptogram). Beware, the game is very addictive. If this is your first time, don't be intimidated. PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in general comments, but DO post your time and any tips...

The Department of Justice has reportedly assigned an FBI special agent to work with Immigration and Customs and Enforcement and the Department of Education Inspector General Charge to investigate Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for alleged criminal violations relating to perjury, immigration fraud, marriage fraud, state and federal tax fraud, federal student loan fraud, and bigamy.As an immigration lawyer, the very first question that came to mind when I read these reports was what immigration consequences, if any, could attach in the event that any of the above allegations are proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law....

Our selection today is Down Texas Way by Hank Locklin (1952). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year, everyone!! Here's hoping 2020 is the best year yet!! President Trump should take the win in the Senate trial without dragging it out, then concentrate on winning the 2020 election with wide coattails, then bide his time as the cases against the various coup plotters wind their way through the justice system. Win the election, hold the senate, take back the house!! And then continue the work of making America great again: Build the wall, enforce the law, deport them all!! End DACA!! End sanctuary cities!! End anchor babies!! Continue cutting regulations, cutting government, cutting spending and...

I got a nice dose of reality with Free Republic off the air this morning. By 8 am I searched, "Is Free Republic Down" and it took me to a site that confirmed, that it was down for everyone. By 9 am, insidiously, I noticed a frontal headache and a little anxiety. By 10 I was having trouble concentrating and getting a bit restless and short with co-workers, By 11 there was some paranoia with thoughts like "What if Free Republic never comes back up?" and "I think I'm hooked on this site", and "What if I can't recover from...

A struggling Minnesota church is asking its older parishioners to leave in hopes of making it more attractive to young families. Grove United Methodist Church in the St. Paul suburb of Cottage Grove is closing in June, with plans to relaunch in November. The present members, most of them over 60 years old, will be invited to worship elsewhere, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The church is asking that they stay away for two years, then consult the pastor about reapplying. “I pray for this church, getting through this age-discrimination thing,” William Gackstetter said at church on a recent...