Free Republic

“The simplest definition of mental illness (and insanity) is the inability to recognize and comply with reality.” (My college statistics instructor who was a professor of psychology) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom” – Psalm 111:10 I often reflect on the nature of culture and nationhood, never more contemplatively than on the Fourth of July when I re-read and consider the observations within the Declaration of Independence. In so doing I recognize that, according to my statistics instructor, we are living in an Age of Insanity. As our nation is seemingly rife with incurious, gullible...

Having lived in Virginia most of his life, Larry Sabato can remember racially segregated schools and systematic efforts to stop Black people voting. Now 68, he observes a state that has diversified, embraced liberal values and shifted from symbol of the old south to symbol of the new. “I have to admit, as a young man I would never have believed it was possible for Virginia to move in such a strong progressive direction,” said Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “I worked for candidates back then who were progressive. I used to joke,...

Just in case the election is truly stolen, not my desire but it would be foolish not to consider the possibility =============================================== Thanks to the endless scolding over the past few years by self-affirmed enlightened and morally superior folks, and watching their behavior I now know that there are “correct” manners when thinking and acting in public discussions from now on. Thanks to these instructions by my mental and moral superiors and their examples of righteous patriotism I can be confident in following their sterling example in the coming years. Not only can I whine incessantly about an illegitimate “election”,...

The Editor I am not a Southern Partisan (even though I hail from southern Minnesota, the tropical part) nor am I a political partisan having renounced party affiliation in 1988, so I have no particular dog in the fight over historical monuments. That said, I discern some unfortunate (and I hope inadvertent) parallels between the anti-historicists of our current time and numerous misanthropic regimes of the past. In this matter I draw on the wisdom of philosopher George Santayana, who famously said, “Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes.” This debate is not about the “offensiveness”...

Recently my niece wrote and asked about my observations relating to the Wuhan Virus pandemic. After much thought I wrote this reply. You may find agreement, disagreement, or simply smack your forehead for any number of reasons. Crusher ****************************************************** Dear H Thank you for your note and update on y'all's situation and we join you in prayer. We are just hunkered down in the hinterlands where "social isolation" has been the status for any day ending in "Y" just about forever. It is early gardening season for your aunt and I have a never ending menu of projects in the...

The Editor The Highland Recorder I just might be one of the poster children for “The Come Heres,” those folks who deliberately chose to live here in this remote wonderland. As a teenager fifty years ago I started describing a place in my mind, a place that eventually became known to me as Highland County, Virginia. We bought property here twenty years ago and escaped the Peoples’ Republic of Maryland permanently in 2014. I feel more at home in Highland County than anywhere I have ever been. Unfortunately, recent developments in the state’s social and political climate have led me...

Editor, #################### There may be no better description of the Virginia state government’s ongoing agenda than the old adage, “What you are seeing depends on where you are standing.” For me it all comes down to trust, in this case trusting elected politicians. Decrying Republican politicians is a waste of words as their fecklessness when in the majority led us to this situation. Future scholars will wonder how it was that GOP politicians could walk upright, given that most Homo republicanus were creatures without a spine. On the other hand, Democrat politicians have clear agendas they pursue with relentless commitment....

One of the religious liberty cases the Supreme Court Justices won't be hearing this term is the issue of Maryland High School student Caleigh Wood, who refused to take part in a school assignment to write the Islamic conversion prayer that states “… there is no god but Allah,” because she believed it directly contradicted her Christian faith. The High Court denied a petition filed on behalf of the 11th grader, angering one conservative commentator who saw it as caving in to the indoctrination in schools and on college campuses. “This is not just a violation of the First Amendment...

Yesterday, the Washington Examiner did its best to confirm that South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg is officially a contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. As befits a bona fide challenger, the Examiner took a peek into his past and pulled out an interesting nugget. As it turns out, Buttigieg was raised by a Marxist. To wit: The father of Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was a Marxist professor who spoke fondly of the Communist Manifesto and dedicated a significant portion of his academic career to the work of Italian Communist Party founder Antonio Gramsci, an associate of Vladimir...

@SteveDeaceShow More Another rape allegation against #Kavanaugh from 1998. What's happening here, and I don't say this lightly, is satanic. Either we're poised to put evil sociopath on Supreme Court, or evildoers are willing to make false/heinous charges for power. Satanic either way. Pray! @SteveDeaceShow 14h14 hours ago More We are beyond partisan rankling, or even character assassination/tribal protection. This is spiritual malevolence. The kind of wickedness that shows itself when a spiritual stronghold is at stake, and/or a culture is so far gone it's ripe for the taking. @SteveDeaceShow 14h14 hours ago More This transcends divisive elections, or even...

Money excerpts: "That said, the president hasn’t moved nearly fast enough in filling out the sub-cabinet government of officials who, because they are personally appointed by the president, are charged with making Trump policies a reality. Of the top 640 jobs that require Senate confirmation, the Partnership for Public Service has calculated that fewer than half — 275 — have been confirmed and are on the job. Another 144 people have been named or nominated but are awaiting confirmation. A total of 217 positions — a third of the total — have never had anyone named to fill them." And,...

Former Vice President Al Gore touted Ivanka Trump's commitment to a climate policy "that makes sense" Monday night after meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and his daughter. “It's no secret that Ivanka Trump is very committed to having a climate policy that makes sense for our country and for our world and that was certainly evident in the conversation that I had with her," Gore told Chris Hayes on MSNBC's "All In." "I appreciate the fact that she is very concerned about this." Gore stressed that he preferred to "not give too many details" about the meeting but called it...

In the run-up to the impending election, it is worth reflecting on the breadth and depth of the support for the candidates. Obviously Hillary’s support is dependent on those who are, well, dependent on support from FedCo and thus she probably has a floor of voters somewhere in the 40% range (the “data” about the electorate is so squirrely that there is no way to know what is accurate ex ante). Conversely Team Trump argues that he brought “all kinds of new voters” to his candidacy. To support this reasonable assertion they point to the record-breaking numerical voting support Trump...

Dear Trump Supporters Although I am not particularly enamored with Donald Trump (the ideas Cruz espouses are closer to my own), I absolutely understand and appreciate the dynamic behind Trump's meteoric rise and probable victories in the GOP nomination and the November election. I have posted before on FR about the importance of eradicating the Republican Party, so perhaps Trump is the vehicle for that necessary Schumpeterian creative destruction. What does fascinate me is the hostility towards Cruz from ostensibly conservative folks who happen to be supporting Trump. I do not really care about the specifics of the animus but...

Most of the time when someone famous or important dies, expressions of profound grief on the part of the public are tiresome at best, representing the cultural triumph of sloppy and overwrought sentimentality. Most such deaths, while tragic to friends, family, and loved ones, have no effect whatsoever on the overwhelming majority of those expressing sadness. Their lives will go on unchanged in any way. The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is an exception to this rule. His passing is a not just a personal or family misfortune, but a full-blown national tragedy. Indeed, Scalia’s death may be...

I was recently asked my opinion about the current state of affairs, and thought some of you might be interested. Or not. ===================================================== Hi Cousin You asked my thoughts about Paris, so here they are. What we are seeing is not a clash of civilizations, but rather a clash between civilization and barbarism. Paris is but the latest consequence of The West 1) failing to recognize/address barbarism, and 2) losing faith in civilization itself. In short, Paris is the well-deserved consequence of The West's aggregate contempt for its own Christian heritage. G.K. Chesterton once said that when a people no...

In recent years, by that I mean since 1990, I have observed the dearth of competent political mechanics amongst the ranks of minarchism/civic virtue where I occupy, while there is no such shortage on the collectivist side of the equation. By “political mechanic” I mean someone who not only believes some point of view but knows how to both craft it and package it in such a manner that appeals to a majority of a particular polity. There is no doubt that people like James Carville and David Axelrod are inspired when it comes to these tasks. In 1990 Lee...

The Present and Future Timeline of Libertarian Foreign Policy RE: Iran I have long believed that Iran was THE problem in the Middle East, and given that they are clearly DaWon's heart throb thy are worthy of continued monitoring. Their presence on the word stage is a continued source of confusion for Libertinians who tend to fall into the pattern of thinking below. 1. All nation states are evil, in fact equally evil, so no nation state including the USA should engage in actions against other nation states like Iran (or even extra-national entities like ISIS). 2. Since all nation...

I was recently delighted to note the return of the incomparable Robin of Berkeley to the ranks of the blogosphere. Her insights are among the most thoughtful and revealing I have encountered on the web, and I am overjoyed at her return from a self imposed exile of almost two years, during which she posted only about a half dozen missives. In the past few weeks she has penned another half dozen, and I am profoundly hopeful that her output continues and increases. She is a recovering atheist leftist psychotherapist whose skewering of the insanity that is the Left is...

Now that we are essentially outside the range of all but the local radio station (singular) which plays both country and western music, my podcast listening has increased even more than it was in the past. I still listen to some broadcast shows as podcasts, which for the most part is an excellent option. Others are strictly webcast, but either way I keep my ancient mp3 player chock full of good stuff to listen to while I am working around the homestead or in the shop or on the road. Here are my favorites, in no particular order. “The Shrugging...