Free Republic

With less than half of its vehicles operational, only one submarine seaworthy, and major equipment modernization programs years away, the CAF remains a “hollow force.” While its presence in places like Latvia is politically valuable, it serves as a “tripwire,” not a sustained, combat-capable contribution to a high-intensity coalition fight.

By now you might have seen a video clip circulating on social media of a defiant and terrified young Scottish girl wielding a knife and a hatchet to fend off the advances of a migrant man who allegedly had been harassing her and her younger sister. You can hear the fear and anger in their voices, a mix of desperation and rage and confusion. You can also hear the man’s voice, taunting them. At one point one of the girls cries out, “Don’t touch my little sister, she’s only twelve!” You might also have heard how the story ended: the...

We are living in what can be called the Third Arc of American history, a period as consequential as the American Revolution and the U.S. Civil War. The threats we face today are not only abroad but also here at home: infiltration, radical ideologies, and forces working to dismantle the very foundation of our Constitutional Republic. The most significant battle is not fought overseas with weapons, but here with courage, conviction, and truth. This is not just President Trump's fight, nor the fight of those who have worn the uniform. It is the responsibility of every American. Each of us...

TLDR: The American Bar Association has spent decades pushing sweeping gun control—from penalties on victims who don’t report stolen guns, to redefining the Second Amendment as “militia-only,” to backing bans, mandates, and red flag laws—despite no evidence these measures reduce crime.Punishing victims: ABA wants criminal/civil penalties if gun owners don’t “promptly” report lost or stolen guns, despite no evidence that it reduces crime.Rewriting the Second Amendment: In 1994, ABA pushed the “militia only” interpretation to justify more restrictions on private ownership.Decades of bans and mandates: From “assault weapons” to .50 cal rifles, red flags, permits, microstamping, and doctor questioning—ABA has...

Some leftists are now claiming that conservatives are foolish to expect President Trump, who once went bankrupt, to turn the economy around. As leftist claims frequently do, it shines a spotlight on their willful ignorance of history. Our society glorifies overnight successes and flawless trajectories. But it's worth refamiliarizing ourselves with the stories of individuals who have plummeted to financial ruin only to rebuild their careers and create successful businesses. These serve as powerful reminders of human resilience. Bankruptcy, a word synonymous with defeat, has marked the journeys of countless individuals who have refused to let it define them. Instead...

Saturday marks the 86th anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, an agreement concluded between Moscow and Berlin that would effectively lead to the carve up of Poland and condemn the world to six years of war. In hindsight, it is abundantly clear that a major global conflict had long been brewing, however, it was the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that is now viewed as the final treachery that would lead to war. While, in essence, the pact was billed as a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, it contained a secret annex that divided...

The battleship’s contract with the Navy, Spevak said, says two things: They are “not allowed to touch the engine systems,’ which is one reason why tug boats were used to move it from the dry dock. And the other is that “the Navy reserves the right to recall the ship back into service in the event of a national emergency.” However, Spevak stated “we have no feeling that that will ever happen again,” and that none of the refurbishments were done with the idea that the ship would ever return to service. The Navy does, however, issue guidelines about how...

President Donald Trump escalated his campaign to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with his political directives on Tuesday, alleging museums were too focused on highlighting negative aspects of American history, including “how bad slavery was.” In a Truth Social post, Trump directed his attorneys to conduct a review of museums, comparing the effort to his crackdown on universities across the country. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,”...

Dancers prepare for the grand enterance at the Gathering of Nations in April 2017 in Albuquerque, N.M. Photo: Russell Contreras/Axios The Gathering of Nations, a celebration of Indigenous dancing, music and art from around the world in what has become North America's largest powwow, will end next year, organizers announced. Why it matters: The ending closes a chapter in Native American history that has been mentioned in movies and novels and brought hundreds of thousands to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for more than 40 years. Driving the news: Organizers announced on Saturday that the cultural event will conclude in 2026, marking...

The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, changed the world in ways that no one could have predicted. It wasn’t just a health crisis; it was a global catastrophe that upended economies, disrupted societies, and exposed the deep flaws in how we handle public health and governance. As the world shut down in response to the pandemic, we saw contradictions, confusion, and selective leadership decisions that made everything worse. The world’s reaction to COVID-19 wasn’t just about a virus—it was about power, control, and broken systems. Who was the mouthpiece? Dr. Anthony Fauci. Transcript linked below video

Welcome to Episode 5 of "Battles That Shaped Time: Turning Points in Warfare" In the summer of 955 AD, the fate of Europe balanced on a single battlefield -- the Lechfeld. For over 50 years, the Magyars had ravaged the continent, undefeated and unstoppable. But on this day, Emperor Otto I would gamble everything -- not just on steel, but on the fury of the skies. As a summer storm turned rivers into raging traps and mud swallowed armies whole, the battlefield became a crucible of destiny. This is the story of the day Europe's future was forged in thunder,...

I was reading our favorite (ahem) online encyclopedia and noticed something interesting: that the Dems completely dominated the House since the 1950s until circa 1994. How did they pull that off? We're talking 40-50 years until that Republican "revolution". Now I know why it was named as such. What lessons can we learn? It's well before my time but figured FR might know the historical answer! Is it something to do with how districts are/were apportioned which is actually very topical and in the news right now?

The oldest son of Robert F. Kennedy, denounced the possible parole of the Palestinian man convicted of killing his father in California in 1968. "I understand that there are differing views about ending the sentence of this killer, including within my own family. But emotions and opinions do not change facts or history," former congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II said. "The prisoner killed my father because of his support of Israel," Kennedy wrote in a separate statement. "The man was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Yet he now may walk free, no doubt to the cheers of those who...

West Milford's Jen Pawol made history Saturday afternoon in Atlanta. The former standout catcher from North Jersey became the first female umpire to work a Major League Baseball regular season game.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Restoring a memorial to the Confederacy that was removed from Arlington National Cemetery at the recommendation of Congress will cost roughly $10 million total, a U.S. Army official said Wednesday — the latest development in a Trump administration effort to combat what it calls “erasing American history.”Once back in the cemetery, the monument — described a few years ago as “problematic from top to bottom” — will also feature panels nearby that will offer context about its history, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity about a project still in progress.The Pentagon expects it to...

Can people like this even be brought into the fold of sanity and morality?History teacher on TikTok says that Incan child sacrifices were “kind” and “voluntary.” Children were merely left to freeze to death, which isn’t so bad when you think about it. She blames white people for having a judgmental view of human sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/PuB26tmVQj — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 5, 2025The hill she’s going to “die on” is the human-sacrifice-isn’t-all-that-bad hill? Spoken like a committed leftist. She must feel pretty virtuous and anti-racist, rattling off words like “Mochica” and “Tahuantinsuyu” and “Quechua” because she’s sooo educated and multicultural.In...

Eighty years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, this analysis explores Operation Downfall, the massive Allied invasion of Japan that was averted by Tokyo’s surrender. The two-stage plan, Operations Olympic and Coronet, would have involved more than twice the forces of the Normandy landings and was expected to be unimaginably costly.

Under the order, Trump directed Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to determine whether statues have been removed since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 to 'perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.' But Pike did lead a regimen of Native Americans in Arkansas who sided with the Confederacy and were accused of scalping Union troops in an 1862 battle. He eventually received a pardon from President Andrew Johnson for his wartime actions and went on to become a prominent member of...

The F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft, was officially retired in 2008 but continues to fly regularly. The U.S. Air Force still uses the iconic jet as a cost-effective platform for several key missions. Primarily, it serves as a unique “aggressor” trainer, simulating foreign stealth aircraft like China’s J-20 to prepare U.S. pilots for modern threats.

At the twilight of the Roman republic, few figures loom larger -- or cast darker shadows -- then Lucas Cornelius Sulla. Born into a once proud but impoverished family Sulla's journey from obscurity to unmatched power is one of the most tumultuous, ruthless, and consequential sagas in Roman history. His life traverses a landscape of war, betrayal, political manipulation, and personal ambition- all set against the backdrop of a crumbling Republic and the rising intentions that would ultimately birth an Empire.This episode doesn't just recount Sulla's meteoric rise; it explores the deeper currents that carried him forward in the...