Free Republic

Demographics aren't destiny, culture is. The sooner Americans return to affirming "E pluribus unum," the faster we can mend our national wounds. A new book, “Let Them Eat Tweets,” by political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, is the latest attempt to shift the blame for identity politics, maintaining that conservatives are exploiting ethnic anxiety sparked by “changing demographics.”Yes, after creating a caste order dividing society into identity silos based on race, ethnicity, sex —anything that conveys feelings of victimhood — the left is now shocked that some whites could, too, fall prey to identity politics. Nothing could better illustrate...

Few words have been more popular in recent years than "diversity." And few concepts have been more destructive. Destructive of our social fabric, destructive of our moral well-being, destructive of our ability to make judgments. In schools, non-profits and government programs across the nation, diversity has been held up as a great and noble prize. Some objective to be fought for and given prominence. It has become the top priority in institutions from colleges to corporations. And it has become a philosphy handed down like the word of god from the pulpits of education, business and government. And yet it...

The vast majority of people in the United States believe everybody who calls themselves an American citizen should speak the national language, according to a poll by Hart/Newhouse released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 89 per cent of respondents support having all immigrants applying for citizenship being required to learn English. In May 2006, U.S. president George W. Bush addressed the nation to discuss his immigration proposals. Bush outlined five clear objectives: securing the borders, creating a temporary worker program, holding employers to account for the workers they hire, allowing illegal immigrants "who have roots" in the...

In recent months we have been hearing much about illegal aliens and Mexican-Americans with regards to the border issue. In the wake of Katrina we heard the ridiculous and unsubstantiated claims that African-Americans were the target of some “white” conspiracy led by the Bush administration. Regularly we are asked to be politically correct with regards to each ethnic group, be it Irish-American, Polish-American, Japanese-American etc. Increasingly we must even be particularly sensitive to those who are even partially descended from any group, if they have even one drop of blood from a particular group you best be cautious. Teddy Roosevelt...

Associated Press The 4th Infantry Division, shipping out from Texas. WASHINGTON — Does the United States military have to be representative of American society? The question has hung heavy since war with Iraq first seemed inevitable, and with it the possibility of heavy casualties. Now, with that war at a climax, a small band of critics continues to maintain that the all-volunteer force — which is 30 years old this year — is all-volunteer in name only. They argue that relative economic disadvantage has replaced local draft boards in determining who enters the military, especially the enlisted ranks, and that...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation of immigrants is again reshaping its identity. While Hispanic immigration surged in the 1990s, new census figures show a decline in the number of people identifying themselves as Irish, German and other European ancestries. More people are simply calling themselves ``American.'' ``When I was younger, my parents explained that you are an American citizen but your heritage was from Ireland,'' said Jim Donohue, a New York City investment banker who has dual citizenship. Some of Donohue's ancestors came to America as early as the 1860s. While he has grown closer to his Irish roots in...