Free Republic

Friday afternoon on The Five, Bob Beckel tore into Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for an online ad he released this week that uses the IRS scandal to equate President Obama with Richard Nixon. Beckel called it “one of the cheapest ads I’ve seen” and said to McConnell, “you ought to be ashamed of yourself!” “To politicize this thing before you have the hearings,” Beckel went on, “and to go on the air with that kind ad, that’s a muckraking, disgraceful, disgusting ad, and it’s typical of a guy from the bourbon state.” To protestations from his co-hosts, Beckel said “in...

A divided federal appeals court has sided with Michigan school administrators who barred students from wearing shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon!”, which gained traction as a coded message of opposition to then-President Joe Biden. The 2-1 decision this week by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit provides some important guidance to educators on when they can prohibit speech promoting a “vulgar message” in schools, even if doesn’t contain actual expletives or is political in nature. “The Constitution doesn’t hamstring school administrators when they are trying to limit profanity and vulgarity in the...

The Russian leader noted that the reaction of Western elites on a new interpretation of events was primitive and straightforwardMOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Western elites spent years teaching Russia about the importance of freedom of speech and competition, and now they are trying to ban and block all of that, President Vladimir Putin said in a speech marking the 20th anniversary of RT. "For years, they [Western elites] taught us how to live, how the media should work, how to understand democracy and what democracy is. What true freedom of speech is. They convinced us of the importance of competition,...

For generations, Americans believed the First Amendment was untouchable — the cornerstone of our Republic. But today, freedom is under attack. Behind closed doors, government agencies, Big Tech, universities, and NGOs built a powerful system to control what citizens can say, hear, and believe. This is not speculation. It is a documented reality. “God Complex: The Rise of America’s Censorship Machine” is a Big Picture Originals documentary that reveals how this system came to be, how it operates, and why every American who values freedom must pay attention. Because when speech is silenced, the truth disappears — and with it,...

NEW YORK — Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway. They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair, used the words “n--ga” and “n--guh,” variations of a racial slur, more than a dozen times in the chat. Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the...

“Religious freedom” was not part of the Old Testament system, because God ruled over Israel directly. Of course, Israel’s theocracy was not intended to be a government model for the rest of the world. Nations which have imposed a self-styled theocracy, such as medieval Spain, have produced totalitarian nightmares. The religious intolerance of the Inquisition was not a product of true theocracy; it was the result of power-hungry, sinful men. In the New Testament, we have a clearer picture of the God-ordained role of government. Romans 13:3-4 delineates the government’s responsibilities, which are, quite simply, to punish evil deeds, reward...

The sentencing of the protest’s organizers only confirms that Canadians with the wrong political views will not receive equal treatment before the lawIn a disgraceful conclusion to a disgraceful trial, Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber have been sentenced to 12 months of house arrest and 6 months of curfew (with credit for the 49 days Lich has already spent in jail) – plus 100 hours of community service. An ironic addendum. For in the packed courtroom on October 7, there was likely not one person who has served the community with greater generosity than the two defendants....

A petition to disband the Rutgers University Turning Point USA chapter has been launched for promoting "hate speech" and creating a "toxic environment." The petition launched this week, and by Wednesday, already has 1,679 signatures.

In the board game Taboo, a speaker seeks to lead listeners to a certain answer and must point the way using only words that the game allows. The game sets a predetermined goal and censors the speech that would best help teams to achieve it. Such rules ensure a fun game night, but when states deploy them, it crashes the party and violates the First Amendment. Just ask Colorado counselors. In 2019, Colorado enacted a law that restricts them from having certain conversations about gender and sexuality with clients under the age of 18. Any counselor who speaks the forbidden...

“Hate speech.” The term calls to mind every sort of vile and disgusting insult and racial and ethnic slur. Who could possibly be in favor of allowing that? Large numbers of people instinctively assume that hateful statements, particularly those based on racial, religious or ethnic categories, must surely be illegal. But here in the U.S., such statements in general are not illegal, and not subject to criminal prosecution. A couple of weeks ago, our Attorney General Pam Bondi was recorded on a podcast saying that “We will absolutely . . . go after you, if you are targeting anyone with...

A high school classmate of mine, an honor roll student and leader back then, long known for her objectivity, sent a compelling letter to a handful of friends. She gave me permission to anonymously reprint her insightful letter, which I slightly modified only for length: Hello friends, 2020 is such an important election year, I want to share my thoughts with people I believe share my concerns about a possible Donald Trump loss.  In November, we will not be choosing between two old men from our traditional parties. It will be a fight between the cornerstone of our democracy –...

Spanish priest found guilty of ‘hate crime’ after criticizing Muslim persecution of ChristiansBarcelona priest Fr. Custodio Ballester was found guilty and now faces prison time for warning that ‘Islam does not allow dialogue’ with Christianity.Sentencing for a Spanish priest who this past week was found guilty of making “Islamophobic” comments more than seven years ago has Catholics as well as free speech advocates concerned.In February, Father Custodio Ballester was summoned by a regional court in Spain to respond to charges that he had committed a “hate crime” for calling attention to the unjust treatment Christians receive in Islamic majority countries.Ballester,...

SB-771 threatens to turn digital platforms into ideological enforcers, punishing those who hold traditional, faith-based viewpoints. California lawmakers are once again leading the charge — not toward progress, but toward repression. Their latest move, Senate Bill 771 (SB-771), is being packaged as a bold stand against “hate” on social media. In reality, it’s a direct assault on the free expression and constitutionally protected speech of ministries, minority groups, and faith-based organizations. The bill would force Big Tech to remove content that could be interpreted as “harassment” or “intimidation” based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and more — or face...

Tucker Carlson's most current interview of Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger (at https://x.com/i/status/1972716529608237173) brings up a nine-point list of Wikipedia policy reforms, of interest since the interview asserts that Wikipedia has a gargantuan influence, much greater than other media giants, on the total body of current knowledge--this in the information age. Question to ChatGPT: Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger maintains a 9-point list of reform measures for Wikipedia's policies at https://larrysanger.org/nine-theses/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#6-reveal-who-wikipedias-leaders-are. Presuming there will be no response from the Wikipedia governing body to item number 6, "Reveal who Wikipedia’s leaders are", is there a way for the identities of those anonymous leaders...

A controversial bill awaiting California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature would slap steep new penalties on social media platforms that fail to censor content deemed in violation of the state’s civil rights laws. SB 771, which passed both chambers of the state legislature and was sent to Newsom’s desk on Monday, imposes fines of up to $1,000,000 on social media platforms that fail to remove content that violates the state’s civil rights laws. Critics warn the measure will lead to sweeping censorship of lawful speech. Lawmakers defended SB 771 by citing “rising incidents of hate-motivated harm,” including “hate crimes involving...

Vigilant Fox 🦊 @VigilantFox REPORT: As America grieved Charlie Kirk’s death, California rammed through one of the harshest censorship bills in U.S. history. SB 771 gives the state sweeping power to police online speech—with penalties so crushing they could bankrupt ordinary citizens. Lawmakers approved $500,000 fines for “hateful” posts, and $1 million for willful violations. In under a week, the bill shot through both chambers and now sits on Gavin Newsom’s desk. If signed, politicians—not the people—will decide which words are allowed, and which could destroy your life. This isn’t just a California problem. The same playbook is already silencing...

A conservative activist group’s unannounced visit to Tennessee State University ignited a debate over free speech and safety on campus. Members of Fearless Debates said they had come to TSU to “create conversation and discourse.” The NAACP Nashville chapter countered that the group’s goal was to provoke and demean students at the historically Black university.... Fearless Debates described itself as part of the “Fearless Tour,” a grassroots effort inspired by the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. On its website, the group said it was “bringing honest conversation and open debate back to America’s college campuses.”... The NAACP Nashville chapter called...

Meanwhile, a new poll shows a majority of voters believe it’s appropriate to fire employees who celebrate Charlie Kirk’s murder online. ============================================================= A week’s vacation from his “comedy” show didn’t make Jimmy Kimmel any funnier, less bitter, or more likeable. In fact, the late-night host returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday — on fewer ABC local affiliate stations — sounding more partisan and petulant than ever. Kimmel offered no apology for the lies he told about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, comments that earned him an “indefinite,” short-lived suspension from his corporate bosses. The poster-child for Trump Derangement Syndrome thumbed his nose...

Charlie Kirk died for the same cause that David Horowitz was assaulted for, that Robert Spencer was banned for, and that Ben Shapiro faced bomb threats for: free speech on campus. In an academic environment where a respected 74-year-old scholar like Charles Murray could be physically assaulted at a college while the perpetrators walked away with a ‘mark’ on their permanent record, the willingness of conservatives to appear on campus was an act of courage. To do it the way that Charlie Kirk did was sheer heroism. There’s no question that he made an impact on a minority of students...

Google on Tuesday promised to restore YouTube accounts that have been banned for political speech, admitting that the Biden administration pressured it to censor Americans that did not violate the company’s terms of service, in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). “Reflecting the Company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” a lawyer representing Google wrote to Jordan. The letter would likely affect pro-Trump political commentators...