Free Republic

The regime has not collapsed at once. Apart from that, the war against Iraq is going well SO WHO is winning? Much of the action in this war is invisible to outsiders. On television the world has been able to witness the bombing of Baghdad and watch the reports filed by the groups of journalists who have been permitted to travel with a handful of advancing American and British units. But most of the serious action—large armoured sweeps through the desert, and the pounding from the air of the armoured divisions of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard ranged around Baghdad—has taken...

Please post any maps that show Allied progress in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

<p>SANTA CLARA, California -- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is threatening innovation in Silicon Valley, and it's time for businesses and consumers to mobilize to change the law.</p> <p>That was the message at the Digital Rights Summit here on Wednesday. Intel hosted the event at its Santa Clara headquarters with Digitalconsumer.org, an organization dedicated to protecting consumers' fair-use rights with regard to digital media.</p>

Despite the bluster associated with our technological society I fear we may have fallen back in the development of new technology. Look how far we have come in the last 200 years. What have we accomplished in the last twenty years? I dare say little, if anything! Here are some points to consider, - The Space Shuttle was designed in the late seventies and built in the early eighties. Do we even have a viable replacement on the drawing board ready for production? - Cellular phones date back to the seventies. First common utilization as VHF and UHF amateur repeater...

The Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Gettysburg, Pennsylvania November 19, 1996 Remarks by Sandra Day O'Connor Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Unites States I. Introduction I am honored to have the opportunity to speak with you today, on this anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. But I have to admit that my task is a bit daunting, even for a Supreme Court Justice. No speaker, I am afraid, can find the words to compete with those spoken here by Abraham Lincoln six score and thirteen years ago (that's 133 years, for those of you without calculators). That goes for...

In the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, both sides, leaving fifty thousand dead or wounded or missing behind them, had reason to maintain a large pattern of pretense—Lee pretending that he was not taking back to the South a broken cause, Meade that he would not let the broken pieces fall through his fingers. It would have been hard to predict that Gettysburg, out of all this muddle, these missed chances, all the senseless deaths, would become a symbol of national purpose, pride, and ideals. Abraham Lincoln transformed the ugly reality into something rich and strange—and he did it...

Well, let's start off with Ronald Reagan and Alan Keyes:Whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln... -- Ronald Reagan , first inaugural address, January 20, 1981 A hundred and twenty years ago the greatest of all our Presidents delivered his second State of the Union Message in this chamber. "We cannot escape history," Abraham Lincoln warned. "We of this Congress and this Administration will be re membered in spite of ourselves." The "trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest...

US scorns new moves to stop the war on Iraq Powell rejects Franco-German plan; Inspectors see signs of 'progress' By Andrew Buncombe in Washington, Tony Paterson in Munich and Stephen Castle in Brussels 10 February 2003 America poured scorn on a new plan for Iraq proposed by France and Germany as a way of averting war last night, deepening the rift with its reluctant European allies. Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, dismissed proposals for tripling the number of inspectors, backed by armed UN peace-keepers, as a "distraction, not a solution". The Americans are already furious with France and...

It is a common error in the customary pro-life position to equate practices which may well be considered diametrical opposites, abortion, which is meant solely to deprive a developing child of life, and cloning, which is undertaken to produce new life via radically new avenues. In a past essay of mine, “An Objectivist condemnation of abortion”, I have argued against a rationalization that Ms. Rand and her intellectual followers have provided for the termination of pregnancy. However, the remainder of the Randian position within the field of bioethics possesses innumerable advantages to both secular and religious pro-lifers alike, which will...

<p>Ninety-nine years ago this past Tuesday, Dec. 17, amid some windblown sand dunes on the shores of North Carolina, the first powered, controlled heavier-than-air flight occurred.</p> <p>It was accomplished, as the popular myth has it, by two "bicycle mechanics" from Dayton, Ohio. The reality, of course, was that they almost single-handedly invented modern aerodynamics and aeronautical engineering, and they did it on their own, with their own resources.</p>

The Suicide Of Marlboro Man The Price Of Freedom Is Slavery. Sort Of. A Little Anyway The other days I was reading G. Gordon Liddy's book of conservative nostalgia, When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country. He paints a sunset picture of former times when America was free, farmers could fill in swamps without violating wetland laws, and guns were just guns. People were independent and had character, and made their own economic decisions. The market ruled as it ought, and governmental intrusion was minimal. The picture is accurate. I lived it. I wish it would come...

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper...

It is fashionable, even expected these days, to vilify the efforts of early explorers and conquistadors from Spain, hurling upon them defamatory accusations of “cultural genocide”, “militant fanaticism”, and “imposition of brute force”. The oligarchic tribal orders balancing atop pyramids of skulls and nourished by rivers of blood are by this paradigm viewed to be a lost Eden desecrated by the “vulgar greed of Western capitalism”. But what had truly taken place? Were the Spanish a horde of devastating oppressors or pioneers carrying with them a bright future? While revisionist theories advocate the former standpoint, genuine historical truth points to...

Columbus Day approaches and this year has a special meaning. Christopher Columbus is a carrier of Western Civilization and the very values attacked by terrorists on September 11. To the "politically correct," Columbus Day is an occasion to be mourned. They have mourned, they have attacked, and they have intimidated schools across the country into replacing Columbus Day celebrations with "ethnic diversity" days. The politically correct view is that Columbus did not discover America, because people had lived here for thousands of years. Worse yet, it's claimed, the main legacy of Columbus is death and destruction. Columbus is routinely vilified...

The Hive (Reprinted from SOBRAN’S, June 1999, page 3) Twenty years ago, I was struck by the way various sorts of political “progressives” — Communists, socialists, liberals, “civil libertarians,” “moderates,” “pragmatists” — all spontaneously cooperated with each other. It wasn’t a conspiracy; there was obviously no central direction. But the pattern was too clear to be denied. The word “left” was a dead metaphor; it said nothing interesting about the people it referred to. So I used the metaphor of an insect hive, which captured the way such people moved in harmony and communicated with each other. In a beehive,...

Izvestiya: reported that a draft program reforming the civil service in the near future has been presented to the Duma. First Deputy of Economic Development and Trade Minister Mikhail Dmitriev said it will be implemented over decades but will change the administrative system beyond recognition. Citizens will gain legislative methods to influence public servants who go too far. Polit.ru: Tax Minister Gennadil Bukaev laid out 3 measures for increasing the return of capital to Russia. It is essential to implement a deposit-insurance program. Interest rates on deposits must increase. The government must stop asking where the money came from. Gazeta.ru:...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - You can still find brass spittoons on the floor of the United States Senate, but don't look for personal computers -- they're not allowed in the historic chamber. Sen. Mike Enzi found that out when he first showed up for work in 1997. The Wyoming Republican asked permission to bring his laptop computer onto the Senate floor, where votes and debate take place, but was told to check it at the door by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Citing advances in technology and the need to stay informed, Enzi has asked the committee to reconsider. In...

The Unreal Lincoln: Loyola College Professor Flunks Out By ERIK ROOT A war of unkind words has afflicted the WorldNetDaily website over a forthcoming book by Loyola College economics professor Thomas DiLorenzo entitled The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War. The controversy began when a friend of DiLorenzo’s, Ilana Mercer, wrote a glowing review of the yet to be released book claiming that, if anything, Lincoln left a legacy of corruption. Richard Ferrier and David Quackenbush of the Declaration Foundation responded to the review (since the book was not released) with all...

President Bush said Wednesday that Secretary of State Colin Powell made progress during his mission to broker an Arab-Israeli cease-fire. He stressed that Middle East nations all had responsibilities in fighting the war on terrorism and bringing peace to the region. "I want to thank Secretary Powell for his hard work at a difficult task. He returns home having made progress towards peace. We're confronting hatred that is centuries old, disputes that have lingered for decades. But I want you to know, I will continue to lead toward a vision of peace," Bush said. "We will continue to remind folks...

I think it would be nice to collect a list of all of the things President Bush has accomplished thus far in his term. In an effort to provide FAIR and BALANCED coverage to President Bush's administration, I thought interested Freepers could post accomplishments, both large and small, which they appreciate.Please do not hesitate to list EO's, roll-backs of EO's, regulation changes with which you are familiar, etc.All positive accomplishments are welcome. If you have negative comments, please post them on the other thread. Thank you.