Free Republic

Libertarians are victims of their own success, and the rest of us are victims of the few remaining libertarians, who – like CrossFitters, militant atheists, and vegans – can’t seem to shut up about their obsession. The fact is that conservatism has absorbed most of libertarianism, at least the useful parts of it. I don’t have much use for a conservative who has no libertarian tendencies, but I’ve got no use at all for the self-identified libertarians we see all too often today. They are a bunch of rigid scolds with zero conception of how the world works but no...

The case hinges on the claim that the former president tried to cover up a campaign finance violation with which he was never charged.The expected criminal charges against former President Donald Trump in New York reportedly hinge on a violation of federal election law with which Trump was never charged. That fact in itself suggests how dubious the case against Trump is: To convert a state misdemeanor involving falsification of business records into a felony, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, is relying on the theory that Trump was trying to cover up another crime. But federal prosecutors apparently...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he is seeking to ban all religions with ties to Russia under a new law. He claims the move is needed to “guarantee spiritual independence to Ukraine.” The measure will target millions of Ukrainians who identify as Russian Orthodox. During his nightly address on Thursday, Zelensky announced he was introducing legislation that would eliminate religious organizations affiliated with Russia from operating in Ukraine. He said this will make “it impossible for religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation to operate in Ukraine.” The Ukrainian leader said it was necessary to purge...

Maybe securing the border isn’t the fix. A reporter tried to set Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene straight by telling her that most fentanyl coming across the border from Mexico is carried by U.S. citizens, not immigrants. When challenged, the reporter said his source was the Cato Institute. Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid responsible for 88 percent of opioid overdose deaths in the United States, is showing up in campaign ads across the country. The message is simple: Fentanyl would disappear if illegal immigration disappeared. This is wrong. If anything, border crackdowns have exacerbated the crisis. Much of this narrative places blame...

The Libertarian candidate running for Senate in Arizona — who had threatened to play spoiler in the closely watched race — is dropping out and endorsing Blake Masters, the Republican nominee.

Never Trumper and Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin in 2021 called for Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue’s (R-GA) ouster during the 2021 Georgia special election, which gave Democrats the Senate majority. “On Tuesday, principled conservatives in Georgia should vote Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue out of office. With few exceptions, the GOP has become a ruinous, unpatriotic blight and both senators are as corrupt as they come. The republic cannot sustain such depravity indefinitely,” McMullin wrote ahead of the Georgia special election.

Australia was established as a penal colony and evolved to independence under British supervision. So the nation just does not have the deep libertarian tradition which allows the modern Americans I admire (Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, Donald Trump,Ron DeSantis, Tulsi Gabbard) to stand up for freedom as brilliantly as they do. America has a libertarian cUlture. Australia doesn't. This means that the tiny Libertarian minority here have some genuine originals breaking new ground These people are error prone because they are true creatives. As an example I point freepers To the little story told by Aidan McLindon where he talks...

Independent Utah Senate candidate Evan McMullin said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he will not caucus with either party if he beats incumbent Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on November 8. McMullin said, “I am running as an independent. I’m building a coalition of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and members of third parties to better represent Utah and to help lead our country forward. And I’m not going to Washington to join a party or to caucus or to play the party power game. I’m going to represent our coalition, and that’s a commitment that I’ve made to our coalition...

Republican senators are growing concerned by colleague Mitt Romney’s refusal to help fellow Utah Republican Mike Lee decisively win his re-election campaign — a posture that could potentially keep their party from gaining a majority in the November elections. Unlike every other Republican senator, the 2012 failed Republican presidential candidate is declining to express a preference in Republican Lee’s re-election effort against Democrat-endorsed Evan McMullin. “I respect [Romney], and I understand that each state has its own dynamics, but I do not understand why he is remaining neutral,” said one Republican senator who asked not to be identified. “Whatever our...

The Libertarian Party held its convention this weekend in Reno, Nevada. In a huge shift in leadership, the Mises Caucus swept the floor and took control of the Libertarian Party. The #RenoReset is complete. For those unfamiliar with the Mises Caucus or Libertarian Party politics, they can be best described as Ron Paul Revolution 2.0, the people who supported Dr. Paul in his 2008 and 2012 Presidential campaigns. The LP became a landing zone for many of Ron Paul’s followers after the GOP went to great lengths to silence Dr. Paul during the campaign. However, many grew tired of LP...

After America was attacked by al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001, my father, Republican Congressman Ron Paul, voted for a U.S. strike on the Taliban in Afghanistan for harboring the 9/11 terrorists. We were attacked, so we struck back. This is the reason we have and need a strong military: Actual national defense. But our military is not meant for nation building. Not for policing the world. Not for imposing democracy in places that have never known it. Not only are these bad ideas, but they aren’t the point of our military and they do nothing for our national defense. Unfortunately,...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sen. Rand Paul wants to be part of the solution to problems in Louisville. “If it were simple, someone would have fixed it a long time ago, but I think being part of the solution is listening and I’ve always been willing to listen,” Paul said. Paul spent time with the Rotary Club of Louisville on Thursday talking about his work on crime and criminal justice, including his partnership with Christopher 2X. “Stick with the educational opportunities that the rotarians love to be a part of as it relates to getting us back on track,” Christopher 2X...

The way to solve America's issues and connect with Republican voters is not to parrot libertarian talking points that enable leftist power.I am always wary of those who purport to speak for their respective generation, and a recent New York Post op-ed by a self-espoused libertarian student at New York University put on full display exactly what the Republican Party must abandon in the years ahead. In close to 700 words, writer Rikki Schlott calls for the GOP to “compromise on social and environmental issues and stand up to leftist extremism,” ignoring that these two are different sides of the...

Howdy neighbor. Do you have a warrant?

Is the senator's authoritarian grandstanding the dark future of the GOP?When rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in January, Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) was there. Not only was he happy to see the mob assembled outside his workplace; he cheered them on. Shortly before the group of conspiracists and reactionaries broke into the building—vandalizing offices, taking selfies amid the wreckage, and dramatically halting business on both the House and Senate floors as lawmakers were evacuated to secure locations, sometimes fearing for their lives—Hawley had been photographed giving them a raised fist of encouragement. Earlier that morning, then–President Donald Trump had addressed...

I picked up a full DVD set of World at War, the eleven volume set, narrated by Sir Lawrence Olivier, brings to life a stunning and sometimes shocking account of the time before, during and after World War II.In this set, the first episode, A New Germany, outlines the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party in what I was stunned to realize is oddly similar to the current rise of the Democrat party and the events of the last four years and the current election.While watching this video I was slapped in the face time and...

To go by the post-election commentary, we libertarians are a powerful group holding sway over American politics and policy. Yet Team Blue and Team Red still enthusiastically embrace authoritarianism and scorn our insistence on letting people run their own lives. Despite growing recognition that libertarians matter, Democrats and Republicans show little sign of extending an olive branch to people who oppose efforts to make government more abusive and intrusive. They know we exist, but they keep us in opposition. How long a shadow do we throw over American politics? "According to the latest figures, the Libertarian candidate for president, Jo...

Jo Jorgensen votes could make a difference

As voters head to the polls to select the next president, citizens of five states will decide whether to legalize medical or recreational marijuana. Right now, 33 states have legalized medical cannabis, according to CNN. Eleven of those states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. In 2016, pot measures passed in eight out of nine states where it was on the ballot. Here’s a look at the states where voters will decide the future of pot: Arizona A proposition on the ballot would legalize the possession and use of marijuana for adults who are 21 or older. People would be...

In what would be a first in the U.S., possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, LSD and other hard drugs could be decriminalized in Oregon under a ballot measure that voters are deciding on in Tuesday’s election. Instead of being arrested, going to trial and facing possible jail time, the users would have the option of paying $100 fines or attending new, free addiction recovery centers. The centers would be funded by tax revenue from retail marijuana sales in the state that was the country's first to decriminalize marijuana possession.