Free Republic

The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart … Alexandr Solzhenitsyn Western Europe can accept at least part of the blame for Vladimir Putin’s strategic ruthlessness. Nearly a year ago Western Europe dragged its feet in allowing Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, partly as a result of Putin applying oil-supply-related pressure to the Germans. No surprise there. Western Europe prefers incessant bureaucratic quibbling to action, or even real diplomacy, anymore. So Putin rightly figured that, having been denied current membership in NATO, Georgia’s chance of...

I am a ‘small town Pennsylvanian’. There is no amount of explanation, or any claim of ‘mis-statement’ that can erase for me Barack Obama’s recent diagnosis of what ails small-town Americans. I resent the fact that Barack Obama sees my faith, my belief in my right to keep and bear arms, and my negative opinion of those who have illegally invaded my country, as abnormal behavior, in need of remedy, and evidence of personal weakness and shortcomings on my part. I suggest to Senator Obama that offering such unsolicited advice and diagnosis is evidence of deep arrogance and elitism...

Hillary Clinton’s campaign ads here in Pennsylvania are focusing significantly on the slogan, ‘The purpose of my life has been standing up for people who weren’t getting a fair shake.’ I’d like to take a look at just three, of countless, people Hillary Clinton has ‘stood up for’ and then ask the readers here whether they would want to be the recipient of Hillary’s particular brand of altruism: - 1 - Juanita Broaddrick, who very credibly claims she was raped in 1979 by Ms. Clinton’s husband -- and then advised to ‘put some ice on it’ -- stated the...

I received a phone call from our daughter late tonight. It seems the mother of an old high school friend just passed away, and she wanted me to look in our local newspaper to find out when the funeral is, on the off chance that she might be able to attend. About halfway through our conversation, she mentioned the following, kind of as an afterthought -- which just goes to show how different mothers and daughters can be in their sense of what is important, or of interest, to tell one another. :) Mandy and her best friend attended...

When our children were young, we had a plaque hanging on the wall of our bedroom that read: There are two essential things you can provide your children. One is roots. The other is wings. Roots, so that they might know from whence they came, and where they can always look for affirmation and love. And wings to provide a sense of independence, and the tools and the spirit to strive to be all that they can be. A good friend, the contributor known as ‘First_Salute’ here on FR, recently forwarded me a Wall Street Journal article entitled, What’s...

Since the tragic shootings yesterday at the two churches in Colorado I have been intrigued by the story of Jeanne Assam, the volunteer civilian security guard who took down the shooter at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. I watched an online interview with her – her first since the shootings – this afternoon, and came away with the knowledge that standing before me was a genuine modern American hero ... and a true soldier of God. Many in the media will downplay her heroism, for reasons that are obvious to those of us who are school in...

Don and Susie Kirlin of Boulder, Colordao. How many times have we heard about government abuses of the right to own property going on in neighborhoods across America, in the form of the invoking of the right of ‘eminent domain’, and the corruption of other legal concepts? Kelo vs. New London is probably the most publicized of such unconstitutional atrocities, but similar atrocities occur daily across this country. How many of us have attempted to help the victims of such abuses of power? I myself have done so no more than once or twice. I ask any FReeper who...

I watched President Lee Bollinger of Columbia University introduce Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the podium at Columbia University this afternoon. I also subsequently watched the madman himself speak (what passes for) his ‘mind’. President Bollinger delivered a fairly powerful address, but its impact for me was greatly tempered by the fact that I believe he was playing to a world audience, attempting to defray much of the justified criticism of his decision to invite Iran’s president to speak on his campus. Much of what he said was diluted by his, and his university’s, history of -- and continuing notable deference...

God’s greatest gift, that of life and the individual freedom attendant to life, is finding itself under relentless attack the world over. Attack by overt madmen who, with blood thirst in their words, proclaim their disdain for human life and liberty … and attack by covert ‘do-gooders’ in leadership positions here in America who see themselves as mini-gods, destined to wield unbridled power and influence over others. America represents the last best hope to stem that destructive, ungodly tide. And yet the majority of those in leadership positions in America count themselves among a god-like ‘ruling elite’ who profess...

My husband and I discovered this morning that yet another young man whom we know well has volunteered to be deployed to Iraq. He will be leaving in January. Which spurred me to do some serious thinking on the subject of our young men volunteering … My support for the war effort in Iraq has dwindled, for two sad reasons: (1) Our president told us four years ago that America has to battle the terrorists in the Middle East in order to prevent the need to battle them here on our own soil. So we are sending our troops...

Utah artist Kaziah Hancock is so touched by the sacrifices of American soldiers in Iraq that she is determined to pay tribute to each one of those who lost their lives, and to offer a kind of eternal comfort to their grieving families in the process. Kaziah Hancock lives alone (if you don’t count her hundred goats and handful of chickens) on a ranch at the base of a mountain in Utah. To understand this independent, middle-aged woman who is devoting her extraordinary gifts to repay our fallen heroes, and to witness the indescribable effect that her love and...

A cloture vote on the mis-named Bill to Provide for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (a long but must read for every modern American patriot) went down to resounding defeat on the senate floor this morning. God bless those Americans who believe that representative government still takes precedence over bread and circuses (Paris Hilton is unveiling a new clothing line, don’tcha know?). Those modern American patriots who expended the time and effort to let their views be known have succeeded in derailing a bill that would have eventually spelled the death of our beloved republic, and dealt a major blow to...

6/08/2007 The Unraveling of America During her two-century-plus history, America has faced many threats -- domestic, foreign, moral, military, economic … The integrity, and unbridled courage, of the majority of her citizenry – whether they be in leadership positions, or ‘average Joes’ -- has always paved the way to victory over hardship and tragedy. And that same integrity and courage has always sought and succeeded in achieving the preservation of liberty. I believe we have reached a point in our survival as a national when past historical precedent is no longer valid. I believe we have reached critical mass ......

<p>See if you can wrap your mind around the latest travesty that is seeking to pass itself off as Constitutional legislation. I’ve been having a lot of trouble absorbing the extent of the evil embodied in the democrats’ most recent assault on my, and your, inalienable rights. My mind prefers to be in a state of denial about this one. Accepting it would be tantamount to an admission that I no longer wield any power at all in the political arena, and that the final nail has been driven into the coffin of government ‘of, by and for the people’.</p>

Ever since the crisis at our southern border was recognized as one, there have been countless meaningless rumblings, and one actual piece of ‘legislation’ (not suprisingly, still unsupported by the funds to back it up) from congress -- all aimed at suppressing citizen outrage regarding our open borders -- none of which is destined to see realization. When it comes to genuinely and resolutely addressing the crisis occurring across the border, everything that emanates from Washington is simply window dressing. To the majority of opportunistic traitors in our government, the invasion that is destroying our national identity, making a...

More than two centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson observed, ‘Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.’ Jefferson believed that America's survival lay primarily in the character of her people. Likewise, Samuel Adams warned future generations by referring to ‘good manners’ as the vital ingredient a free society needs to survive. Adams said, ‘Neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally...

I have been, and continue to be, working locally here in south-central Pennsylvania to re-elect Rick Santorum to his seat as the third most powerful republican in the senate. In the process, I have been reaching out to patriots from outside of Pennsylvania, asking them to volunteer their time, and to donate financially, to Santorum’s campaign, because this election will have powerful repercussions for all of us, far into the precarious future of our republic. There is also a crucial proposition on the ballot on November 7th in the state of California that needs to be addressed by us...

I have spent some of the past three weeks, and plan to spend most of the next two weeks, talking about Rick Santorum’s qualifications to serve a third term in the senate. I know that other Pennsylvanians will be doing the same. And I hope that conservatives throughout the country will consider earmarking some of their campaign contributions to this immensely important and pivotal race. The election or defeat of this powerful senator from Pennsylvania will have repercussions throughout America … and far into the future. Now that we are a mere two weeks away from a watershed election,...

My husband and I live in Lancaster County and have of course been following the news of the school house shooting tragedy over the past few days. Friends from around the country have been in contact with us, wanting to know where they can send letters of condolence and contributions to the families of the young victims. I originally had very mixed emotions about contributing to a fund to defray the families’ transportation and medical expenses. The Amish do not believe in insurance of any kind, so surely do not have the means to pay for what will no doubt...

My connection with Rick Santorum goes back about twelve years. During his first campaign for a seat in the U.S. senate, I spent a significant amount of time wearing out shoe leather, speaking publicly, and writing columns and letters in support of his candidacy. My husband and I drove out to Pittsburgh to attend what we hoped would be his victory party at the Pittsburgh Hilton on election night 1994. It wasn’t until after midnight that Rick and Karen entered the ballroom to deliver his victory speech, after having pulled the election out by the skin of his teeth...