Free Republic

I'm writing this post ahead of Super Tuesday, lest, in penning in it in the aftermath, I am accused of post-rationalization. So here goes, a little ahead of time: Super Tuesday is not the end of the Republican primary. Shamefully, Donald Trump will do well tomorrow -- perhaps very well. And when he does, the press will roar. And then, because human beings have a preference for simple narratives and dramatic headlines, the story will almost certainly be that the election is "over"; that Trump is "now the nominee"; and that anybody arguing otherwise is "kidding himself." This is false,...

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2006 – An investigation has concluded that coalition forces "operated in accordance with the rules of engagement governing our combat forces in Iraq" during a March 15 raid in which Iraqi civilians died, a coalition spokesman said early today in Baghdad. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said that in response to claims that as many as 13 civilians were killed in the raid near Ishaqi, south of Samarra, officials launched an investigation the next day. "The investigation revealed the ground force commander, while capturing and killing terrorists, operated in accordance with...

Forget Friday the 13th. Ignore ladders, black cats, broken mirrors and spilt salt. Think instead of today, March 15, and beware. As superstitions go, being wary of the ides of March is certainly more unusual. Yet the day does have a certain resonance. In the complicated world of the Roman calender, there were 45 public festivals (not bad compared to the UK's eight bank holidays), as well as the ides of each month, days which were sacred to Jupiter. In March, May, July and October, the ides fell on the 15th. The Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar, gave us...

Washington (AP) - A small group of mostly political conservatives have turned out to show support for the Bush administration's policy in the Middle East. Free Republic is sponsoring a rally to show support for U.S. troops and President Bush. About 50 people holding signs and American flags have gathered near Pershing Park. That's located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 15th Street Northwest, just outside the expanded White House security zone. Kristinn Taylor of the Washington chapter of Free Republic, says he's not disheartened by the small turnout. He says conservatives don't generally protest in the streets. But Taylor also says...

I'm wondering if there are any plans in the making for a counterprotest on March 15 in DC. ANSWER is planning an "emergency anti-war protest" at the White House.