Free Republic

The victim culture in this country has been turning out countless numbers of indignant sufferers who can cry out their personal brand of injustice with the convincing wail of a child that dropped their ice cream scoop onto the sidewalk. These martyrs have gotten so good that they could start their own professional league. It’s practically a spectator sport as it is. You hardly ever know in advance who you’re going to offend or the reason why. Then suddenly someone leaps out, having identified their target of opportunity, and then delivers their war cry: “That’s offensive!” And for some reason...

You either love him or hate him. In any given hour of the day, his name is on the lips of some politician or media talking head. I haven’t seen this much celebrity notoriety since Charlie Sheen launched his incomprehensible “My Violent Torpedo of Truth” tour to an incredulous public. Winning was never like this. Donald Trump’s remarks on immigration may not have that Lindsay Lohan mark of sensationally shabby repute, but no one can deny he’s created a media firestorm that’s taken a life of its own. You may have seen a few political cartoons depicting him as the...

Progressives love mocking devoutly religious people. With their smug, snarky, I’m-so-much-smarter condescension, they’ve taken a perverse glee in characterizing the religious right as backwards anti-science luddites. But times have changed. The Left has a new friend in Pope Francis, who has come out in support of the science of manmade climate change. And wouldn’t you know it, progressive everywhere have suddenly gotten religion. It’s a miracle. Now that the Pope is on the bandwagon, we can finally put climate change dogma into its proper context: an article of faith that cannot be questioned. We finally have the perfect demonstrable frame...

Good morning Baltimore. Crime is up and arrests are down. Residents are afraid to go outside following the recent surge in homicides, the worst in 15 years. But have no fear, Al Sharpton has come to the rescue to bring peace and harmony to the mean streets of a city near you. America’s law-and-order champion has been calling for the deployment of a federal police force to take over local law enforcement in riot-troubled cities such as Baltimore and Ferguson. “We need the Justice Department to step in and take over policing in this country,” he said. He also suggested...

Hillary Clinton has been calling for sweeping changes in the way that private citizens choose to get involved in the political process. Yes, I know, the term is “campaign finance reform.” She went so far as to say that she’d be willing to support a Constitutional amendment to “reform” the way voters spend their money in political campaigns. She’s not the only Democrat who feels this way. Their concerns are real. How can a Democrat candidate expect to run an effective campaign when voters have the power to determine the outcome? Hillary and others on the Left get especially nervous...

Back in the Sixties, there was a popular bumper sticker slogan that read “question authority.” In that dubious era of phony psychedelic bohemians and inane pseudo-revolutionaries, it was one of the few pieces of advice I took seriously. Even today it remains good advice, and perhaps even more so. Questioning authority lies at the foundation of how and why this country was formed. The War of Independence was the ultimate challenge to an authority that hadn’t only become questionable, but beyond toleration as well. The framework of the Constitution was designed in part to allow both its citizens and its...

I just found Hillary's presidential campaign theme song. It's perfect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxQ2FR0P4uU

The sign read: “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Dice” at this All American Burger in Redondo Beach. Jeff Spicoli, who says he’s a regular customer, told reporters that he and his two friends were asked to leave if they didn’t put their shirts back on. “The manager went, like, totally fascist on us,” said Spicoli, a senior at Ridgemont High School. “He wouldn’t take our order until we put our shirts on. It was bogus, man.” Spicoli and his friends are now accusing All American Burger of discrimination. Assistant Manager Brad Hamilton said, “I just pointed to the sign. Everyone...

You’ve probably heard the old statistical theory that if you gave a million monkeys typewriters that they'd eventually pound out the complete works of Shakespeare. Now we know, thanks to the Internet, that this isn't true. The evidence can be seen by anyone who spends any time on Facebook, where sentient intelligence seems to have been replaced by boring insipid images. Facebook has gradually risen to a level of stature that’s taken on a dimension that’s even bigger than a posted photo of Kim Kardashian’s rear end. This premiere social media platform has evolved into an online political playground that...

I always find it distressing when a Facebook friend of mine posts something appallingly stupid. It’s one thing when someone you don’t know does it. A total stranger who you’ll never meet is quickly forgotten. Someone you know isn’t so easy to dismiss. It’s the same sort of unsettling feeling I get when I try to imagine the sort of people who buy those tacky commemorative plates they advertise in TV Guide. I realize there are people out there who have no sense of taste whatsoever. But I’m perfectly happy to remain in comfortable ignorance, knowing that I’ll probably never...

Bear with me as I relate an incident I witnessed a couple of years ago; an important point lies at the end of this true story. I was standing in the checkout line at a Barnes & Noble bookstore when I noticed a mother pushing her two toddlers through the store in one of those tandem strollers. One child began moaning, not loudly, but persistently. I’ve raised two children, and I’m familiar with the sounds they can make to express their feelings. This wasn’t an expression of pain, hunger, tiredness, or any kind of stress that I could sense. The...

It’s become increasingly clear that the Right has become a serious impediment to the smooth operation of the Federal government. Responsible Democrats in Washington, along with established members of the press agree: Conservatives, Tea Party members, and Republicans who oppose the Obama administration’s political agenda can be best described as, terrorists, hostage takers, and right-wing extremists. In order to clear the way for the fundamental changes that the Obama Administration is trying to implement, some federal lawmakers are recommending that Washington take stern measures to stem the damage coming from the Right. One of the more comprehensive plans being suggested...

by Chris ShugartSome people automatically assume a government shutdown is a bad thing. But before we jump to any hasty conclusions, let’s consider a few governments that probably should have been shut down. Nazi Germany, the USSR, and Cuba immediately come to mind. And you might want to add Iran, N. Korea, or China to a current ongoing list of governments we could do without. Citizens of just about any Third World African nation suffer from oppression and all sorts of deficiencies because they live in countries with lousy governments. Maybe a little less governance deserves a chance. When Congress...

I've just developed something I call the News Media Algorithm Template. It's a synthesis of the news reporting process that eliminates the need to read, listen, or watch any news report ever again. Just follow the flow chart and the story virtually writes itself. This is the first in a series of generic news subjects that will allow you to be the MSM journalist you always knew you could be. More to follow.

Herein lies a perfect example of the cognitive dissonance that characterizes the Democrat Party and its sycophants. The irrational vitriolic hate and vile that comes from the mouth of some of Drew's guests will make any rational person feel queasy. I don't see how Ann can be so calm....

by Chris ShugartTotalitarian nations, dictatorships, and police states don’t happen overnight. They start out as supposedly good ideas with considerable support from the citizenry. In fact, history shows that in the beginning, despots and tyrants are often viewed as heroic protectors, benevolent rulers, welcomed with fanfare and open arms— champions of the people. But eventually, average citizens wake up one day amidst chaos and decay, look around, and ask in bewilderment, “Wha hoppin?” Of course by that time, it’s usually too late to do anything about it. In a similar way, our government has begun to resemble something akin to...

This is the stuff of totalitarian states where dissent and criticism are typically verboten. Then there’s the USA, where if you happen to be a rodeo clown who parodies Barack Obama, you’ll discover there’s a price to pay there as well. In fact, that sort of gesture will get you forced into reeducation “sensitivity training” and banned for life from the venue where the alleged crime took place. Think of it as Siberia on the American plan.

  The race card remains the Left’s all-purpose ace-in-the-hole that gets played any time they need to bolster a weak argument or intimidate others from expressing opposing views. Through the years it’s been played so often it’s gotten faded and dog-eared by overuse. But the Left will keep playing that same old hand as long as they think it’s working. And now that George Zimmerman has been acquitted of second degree murder in Sanford Florida, the race card is flying about like so many games of Fifty-Two Pick-Up. Liberals like to cite racism as evidence of what an unjust and...

In one sense, Republicans and Democrats are nearly the same. While they may have different philosophies that motivate their actions, the results are usually identical: An impenetrable bureaucracy that’s expensive to run and difficult to control. Sadly, it’s a trend that neither side seems interested in changing. Maybe they think we won’t notice. And maybe they’re right. I think it might be time to revise the traditional left/right political spectrum we use to describe American politics. We may need a new way to define the current political landscape, perhaps focusing less on ideology and more on the existing scene we’re...

GREAT MOMENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY!“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” - Admiral David Farragut“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” - Attributed to Colonel William Prescott“I have not yet begun to fight!” - Captain John Paul Jones“What difference does it make?” - Secretary of State Hillary ClintonI used to think that Hillary Clinton was a pretty smart politician, as far as Washington bureaucrats go, but following the Benghazi fiasco and her defense of that terrible sequence of events, I think Hillary displayed such an unknowledgeable level of unpreparedness that one can only question her qualifications to perform...