Free Republic

Gentlemen, I have been riding your trains daily for the last two years, and the service on your line seems to be getting worse every day. I am tired of standing in the aisle all the time on a 14-mile trip. I think the transportation system is worse than that enjoyed by people 2,000 years ago. Yours truly, Patrick Finnegan -------------------------------- Dear Mr. Finnegan, We received your letter with reference to the shortcomings of our service and believe you are somewhat confused in your history. The only mode of transportation 2,000 years ago was by foot. Sincerely, Irish Railway Company...

Art is subjective. Saying with absolute certainty exactly what is “good” or “bad” is simply not possible. Opinions about art can also change with time. Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” literally caused a riot when it premiered in 1913. In 1940, Walt Disney used it in “Fantasia,” and it has become an integral part of the repertoire of multitudes of orchestras. But as public funding for various artistic endeavors has increased (as opposed to past private patronage or the notion of having to pay its own way), one can look at the “culture industry” itself with a certain objectivity. In other...

[T]oday’s churches are increasingly offering the same get-out-of-hell-free cards the culture offers; whatever you do is good because you are being "true to yourself" and are "following your heart" and "your truth." That is not Christianity; that is enhanced 60’s hedonism. Want to be gay? Why not? Want to be a woman, just shave, grow long hair, take hormones, dress up, wear padded bras, and join the Navy and the women's curling team. Want to mess with little kids? Have at it, but make sure parents don’t find out. Want to be an anti-white racist, a cop-hater, a Marxist, or...

In a corner of the third Jewish cemetery in Odessa, among the overgrowth and tombs that no one visits anymore, there is a monument that the present has recovered from oblivion. It is an amphitheater made up of large stone blocks and black granite columns. There are steles with 305 names in Hebrew. They are the identified victims of the 1905 pogrom against the city’s Jews. That episode of ethnic persecution also triggered the creation of the Jewish self-defense groups of Odessa, the largest armed organization of the Jewish people on Ukrainian soil. More than a century later, the members...

Before his untimely death ten years ago, Andrew Breitbart's most famous quote was "politics is downstream from culture." That concept is the basis for what is called the Breitbart Doctrine, which holds that in order to change politics, it is first necessary to change culture. Breitbart was partially correct. In a cohesive, functional society whose members generally understand assumptions regarding faith and moral ideals, politics does indeed flow from culture. But more importantly, culture is downstream from religion. Andrew Breitbart was born in 1969, when the fundamental destruction of the unifying American religious narrative and morality had begun. He could...

resident Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Monday amid a growing divide within the Democratic Party over when the administration should consider ending a Trump-era policy of turning back immigrants at the border based on public health concerns. The issue has been a thorny one for Biden. The president has disappointed advocates with his actions on immigration and the slow speed at which he has worked to reverse restrictive Trump-era policies. But immigration officials within his administration are reportedly wary that if the order is lifted at the end of May as scheduled, a...

Defeated generals are sent home in disgrace, but it is most unusual to dismiss victorious ones. Kosovo: NATO’s war against Serbia ended in victory. Gen. Wesley K. Clark, was very much the victorious general of that war. So why was Clark fired? Officially, he wasn’t fired, but merely asked to step aside early. Clark was caught. The entire structure of the U.S. armed forces is built on: classic war, fought by Army infantry, Marines storming ashore, armored forces, artillery, attack helicopters, fighter-bombers that dive low to attack the enemy, as well as strike aircraft and bombers that operate more safely...

On a dusty road on the industrial outskirts of Calais, a small group of Iranian migrants in tents are taking in news of the UK’s Rwanda asylum plan. The dozen men, mostly in their 20s and 30s, have spent months waiting for an opportunity to make the perilous crossing of the Channel to reach Britain. Some have already tried and failed. But since the announcement that migrants who succeed will be met with a one-way ticket to Rwanda, they have changed their minds. Standing beside a row of shabby, small shelters amid a hum from massive industrial units and passing...

“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats” (Proverbs 23:5-6).

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the five people named Thursday as recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for acting to protect democracy. Cheney was chosen for how she broke with her party to defend the constitution, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation said in its announcement. Zelensky was chosen for his leadership of the Ukrainian people during the Russian invasion. The other honorees are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Fulton County, Georgia, elections worker Wandrea 'Shaye' Moss.

The band was already great, but Taylor made them even greater in the early 70's. He was/is a phenomenal guitarist. Keith was a great writer and guitarist, but he couldn't do the things Taylor could do w/ a guitar. Not then, not now, not ever.

For years, the digital media service Hoopla has given library patrons access to ebooks, movies, and audiobooks through bulk subscriptions sold to public libraries. But more recently, librarians have started calling for transparency into the company’s practices after realizing its digital ebook collection contains countless low-quality titles promoting far-right conspiracy theories, COVID disinformation, LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, and Holocaust denial. In February, a group of librarians in Massachusetts identified a number of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic books on Hoopla, including titles like “Debating The Holocaust” and “A New Nobility of Blood and Soil”—the latter referring to the infamous Nazi slogan for...

[Catholic Caucus] French Mothers (of Traditional Priests): Francis Will Shake Hands With ThemFrancis will welcome the mothers of Roman Rite priests at the end of their pilgrimage to Rome after his May 4 general audience, the mothers' association LaVoieRomaine.com (April 21) announced.The mothers are walking from Paris to the Vatican asking Francis to preserve the Roman Mass.They are bringing with them hundreds letters from Roman Rite Catholics in order to show to the Holy See that the faithful who attend the Roman Mass are “very diverse.”

The political success of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), the House Republican leader, has been buoyed for most of the last decade by his unwavering support for former President Trump. But as McCarthy churns headlines this week over revelations that he wanted Trump to resign for stoking last year’s deadly attack on the Capitol, the fate of the top House Republican could very well hinge on Trump’s willingness to do something he’s not accustomed to doing: forgive and forget. After recordings were revealed Thursday and Friday showing that McCarthy falsely denied suggesting that Trump should resign if he was impeached for...

@DonaldJTrumpJr Neocon RINOs who support a "European led" no-fly-zone in Ukraine, like @JoshMandelOhio, are the OPPOSITE of America First. Mandel has more in common with Liz Cheney on foreign policy than MAGA. That's one of the reasons all America First patriots need to unite behind @JDVance1!

Mariupol basically liberated, couple of thousand die-hard bandera-Nazis still holed up in the underground shelters under the Azovstal factory, Putin says not worth the life of a single Russian soldier i.e. seal it and let them starve/die of thirst, one to three weeks, big celebrations, children throwing flowers onto Russian tanks. Gotta watch...

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE GOING TAKES THE UNCERTAINTY OUT OF GETTING THERE (Anne Graham Lotz)

Today on Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average down by almost 1000 points... New research involving tens of millions of Europeans reveals that heart inflammation was more prevalent among the COVID vaccinated than the unvaccinated... The Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand urging the government to review its order banning unvaccinated permanent residents from returning... The Federal Aviation Administration out with an apology over the incident that caused evacuation of the US Capitol... Late Breaking News: Rockets Fired From Gaza Into Israel... Meanwhile the rioting continued today on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem... Biden Administration officials have been touring...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army announced the award of a 10-year firm-fixed-price follow-on production contract to Sig Sauer, Inc for the manufacture and delivery of two Next Generation Squad Weapon variations (the XM5 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle) and the 6.8 Common Cartridge Family of Ammunition. This award was made following a rigorous 27-month prototyping and evaluation effort that included numerous technical tests and Soldier touch points of three competing prototype systems. The value of the initial delivery order on the contract is $20.4 million for weapons and ammunition that will undergo testing. The contract includes accessories, spares and...

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said on a recent podcast that GOP-backed parental rights legislation could have alarming results and even suggested that such laws are how "wars start." During an appearance on a podcast with radio host Rick Smith earlier this month, Weingarten criticized parental rights bills like the one recently signed into law in Florida. "This notion – we've been very lucky in America, and we in some ways live in a bubble for a long time," she said. "This is propaganda. This is misinformation. This is the way in which wars start. This is the...