Free Republic

It was my first time voting in a presidential election, and, while only twenty-one years old, I was already disenchanted with the state of partisan politics in America. Entering the voting booth I had no idea for whom I was going to cast my vote, but I was thrilled at the opportunity to exercise my newfound citizenship privilege. I scanned the seven names listed and stopped at the Communist Party candidate, Gus Hall. I was vaguely familiar with the name but knew nothing about him. I pulled the lever on my protest vote and became one of the 58,709 Americans...

The following is an excerpt from RealClearPublishing's new book by Joseph B. Sweeney, "Dangerous Injustice: How Democrats Weaponized the DOJ to Protect Biden and Persecute Trump." Examples of the Democratic Party’s corruption of the American justice system for political means can be traced back to at least former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Continuing and escalating throughout Trump’s presidency, and after, the aggressive weaponization of federal law enforcement against Trump reached the unimaginable when on August 8, 2022, thirty Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, armed and authorized to use deadly force, raided the home of the former president...

Good morning! Today's release is another book but as a collection of short poems its a little on the lighter side. At the time that I picked this one up I needed a few more works to have as actively being managed, but now here it is. To be honest, this author had been unknown to me and still mostly is, but there are some interesting things in here with roughly 70 poems. I hope you can find some enjoyment. https://librivox.org/poems-of-american-patriotism-by-brander-matthews/

A book written by progressives, about progressives, blasted Kamala Harris at a time when political observers speculated whether she would be replaced as Joe Biden’s vice president. In it, White House aides outlined Harris’s inability to define a political agenda and her total reliance on personality. Now, with Harris in a tight race for the presidency with Donald Trump, the book has been resurfaced eight months after its release. As recently as the summer of 2023, a cavalcade of Democratic party superstars like California Gov. Gavin Newsom were brandishing their leadership credentials as calls grew for Biden to step aside....

Bob Woodward, a far-left author and Washington Post editor, is set to drop an ‘October surprise’ on Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Far-left author Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will drop several bombshells on October 15. Per RealClearInvestigations reporter Paul Sperry: OCTOBER SURPRISE: A source close to Bob Woodward says his forthcoming book, “War,” about the Biden-Harris administration’s inner workings will “not be kind to Biden or Kamala” and will drop several bombshells on Oct. 15 when Simon & Schuster releases the tome … developing … Simon and Schuster called Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book ‘War,’...

One of my more memorable exchanges with a student came in a principles of economics class. Part of the assignment for that week was chapters from Matt Ridley’s The Rational Optimist. Ridley compared the living standards of an average worker today with those of The Sun King, Louis XIV, in 1700. Some of my more ahistorical students were incredulous at Ridley’s description of the grinding poverty of the average person just a few centuries ago. The King had an opulent lifestyle compared to others. Louis had an astonishing 498 workers preparing each of his meals. Yet his standard of living...

Researchers from Lipscomb University have found that brightly colored books dating back to the Victorian era contain dyes with toxic and poisonous chemicals that could harm readers. The dyes originate from the colorful inks used in the books’ type or illustrations. While previous research has examined the poisonous substances found in the pages of these books, the researchers plan to present a new technique, one not previously used to study books, at the 2024 American Chemical Society (ACS) fall meeting in Denver, Colorado. “These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries and private collections,” Abigail Hoermann,...

With Reagan in home rehab after the assassination attempt, the White House planning began for a dramatic return and major address to a joint session of Congress. It was no secret; we were going to exploit all his heroic national goodwill to sell this economic plan. *** I returned a call from Nixon, and he offered wide-ranging advice. “Ken, on the economy, don’t go to the well too often, and don’t worry about minor GOP defections,” he advised. As for Reagan’s health, “I’ll be quite direct. It’s hard to come back from an operation. Don’t waste the asset [public sympathy]....

Costco will no longer offer books for sale year-round and will instead stock them only for the holiday shopping period and during special promotions, according to a report — a surprise move that poses yet another threat to the publishing industry.Several publishing executives who were informed of the retailer’s plans told The New York Times that Costco will cease offering books for sale on a consistent basis starting in January.The decision was met with criticism on Reddit, where users vented that the decision was akin to “cancelling the hot dog in the food court” — a reference to Costco’s beloved...

Today in history: King St. Louis IX scores major victory for Christians over Islamic jihadOn June 6, 1249, King Louis IX of France—better known to posterity as Saint Louis—scored a dramatic victory over the Islamic jihad at the start of the Seventh Crusade.uly 7, 2017 - St. Louis, Missouri - The sunset over the Apotheosis of St. Louis statue of King Louis IX of France in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri.Today in history, on June 6, Louis IX of France – better known to posterity as Saint Louis – scored a dramatic victory over the Islamic jihad.It was late May,...

We have an amendment, the Second Amendment, because in part when the colonists had no say in how their own societies should be run and what they wanted most was self-government, Britain though it a good idea to confiscate. Mostly the confiscation centered around gunpowder, but there were along with it plots and schemes to take away actual weapons such as guns and cannons. Today we have the story of The Capture of Fort William and Mary, which details a unique and fun chapter in pre-U.S. history in which the colonists said we are going to disarm you before you...

There was some amusement as well as surprise when somebody walked into Helsinki’s Oodi Central Library on Monday 27 with a book that was overdue. 84 years overdue It’s not unusual to be a little delayed in returning a library book but this one was unusual in as much as it was due back on December 26, 1939 making it just over 84 years late! The person who returned it isn’t the person who first took out the book The Refugees (Pakolaiset in Finnish) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and it is not known whether there was a fine and...

An American professor and writer has said that Donald Trump’s “brain is rotting in front of us”, and claimed that to compare him to Joe Biden is “dangerous and wrong”. Sarah Churchwell, an American culture specialist and the author of a book examining division in the US, The Wrath to Come, was appearing on a panel at Hay Festival chaired by The Independent’s chief book critic Martin Chilton. They were joined by political podcaster David Runciman and We Need to Talk About Kevin author Lionel Shriver. Shriver claimed that, ahead of the US election on 5 November, she finds herself...

In the early 1980s, three unrelated events converged to turn my attention decisively to the late Middle Ages and the Reformation. I was invited to give a lecture on the Book of Common Prayer Burial Service. I decided to tackle this task by comparing the elaborate medieval Latin burial service with the austerely Protestant rite Cranmer had quarried from it: the realisation that, in the medieval service at the moment of committal of the corpse, the priest addressed the dead person directly, whereas in the Prayer Book rite the minister turned instead to the living mourners round the grave...

Editor’s note: Shillman Fellow Daniel Greenfield has written a powerful new book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers’ Fight Against The Left. Highly original and urgently relevant, Domestic Enemies unveils the hypocrisies and destructive schemes of the Left, revealing that it has been trying to destroy America from its very founding – using many of the same tactics that it employs today.Democrats claim Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were the fathers of their party. The truth is that their party started out as a radical leftist movement set up by supporters of the French Revolution to seize power in America.Learn why...

In life, sometimes things just drop into your lap. This is one of those times. Today I am very happy to announce the full release of Major General Ethan Allen's work A Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen's CaptivityWhat is cool about this is that it is a solo work, meaning it is IMHO higher quality and easier to follow. Moreover, most of my personal efforts to try to recruit others have admittedly been a failure. But this one, it was just some random person who I don't have any association with saw it and recorded it. From my view, its...

I have been reading "The Thrid Reich in the Ivory Tower" by Stephen Norwood. It is a well researched book about the relationship between Ameriocan universities and the German NSDAP (NAZI's) in the thirties. It is especially interesting in light of recent events.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and is improving at an unprecedented pace...But there are risks in embracing any new technology, especially one that we do not fully understand. While AI could be a powerful personal assistant, for example, it could also represent a threat to our livelihoods and even our lives.The various existential risks that an advanced AI poses means the technology should be guided by ethical frameworks and humanity's best interests, says researcher and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) member Nell Watson.In "Taming the Machine" (Kogan Page, 2024), Watson explores how humanity can wield the...

President George W. Bush took Queen Elizabeth to her first ever baseball game in 1991 - and the excursion only lasted two innings. A new book, penned by the late Bush's longtime chief of staff Jean Becker, sheds light on the exact moment the then-president realized the Queen wasn't enthralled by the game. But her reaction was full of grace. In Becker's book, Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H. W. Bush, she features a number of political heavy hitters including President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Vice President Dan Quayle, as well as...

HOUSTON — Few people outside of the family knew President George H.W. Bush as well as Jean Becker, his longtime chief of staff. She is sharing stories from her new book, "Character Matters," calling it a roadmap to civility in our polarizing political climate. Becker is a journalist who became deputy press secretary for Barbara Bush in the White House, then was asked by the president to become his chief of staff once he left office ."I told him I didn't know how to be a chief of staff," Becker said. "I didn't know how to be a boss, do...