Free Republic

Dear Jon, So “America (the Book)” was named Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. More than successful, it’s a cultural phenomenon. I had to see what the shouting’s about. If your goal was money and self-promotion, congratulations. If you had a higher goal, close but no cigar. Begin with the Foreword “by” Thos. Jefferson. Ol’ Tom was one of the greatest political thinkers in history. I’m not going to pick on deliberate falsehoods or fake quotes. Nor brevity, nor attempts at humor. Just flat-out, factual errors. You have Jefferson say “we” composed “the Declaration and the Constitution.” You credit...

America was not founded on the concept of a "wall of separation between church and state," it was founded upon pluralism. The "wall of separation" phrase does not appear in any of our founding documents; it is taken from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. To base our laws on the correspondence of Jefferson, rather than the Constitution ratified by representatives of each of the original " united states ," is in direct opposition to our system of representative government. Jefferson was a brilliant man, but he also favored slavery and was fanatical about macaroni and cheese. However, slavery was...

I am looking to greatly increase my knowledge of American History over the years ahead. I know there are so many experts and aficionados here on my favorite forum, and I would be so grateful if you could advise some starting points for me. In fact, I would appreciate a roadmap on this to follow over the next couple of years. I have tried just plunging in reading historical documents, but feel that I need more background first to make it stick. I have learned that on many topics that you don't need to know "much" to know more than...

Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists The Final Letter, as Sent To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut. Gentlemen The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing. Believing...

A poll done just before U.S. President George Bush's first official visit to Canada yesterday informs us that nearly three-quarters of Canadians view America as our "closest friend." But the same poll also indicates Canadians in equal number dislike Bush. There is something wrong when Canadians proclaim friendship for their most important trading partner and traditional ally, then distance themselves from the democratic choice of Americans, with whom their common continental destiny is joined. The answer lies somewhere in the reality of an America that challenges Canadian self-identity, is unnerving and, hence, many Canadians indulge in caricatures of an America...

"This... [is] a country where the will of the majority is the law, and ought to be the law." --Thomas Jefferson: Answers to de Meusnier Questions, 1786. ME 17:85 I came across some quotes of Thomas Jefferson. The above makes me wonder how he would feel about Liberals of today trying to make the majority accept what the Minority want. For more quotes of Jefferson's visit http://www.theconservativerepublican.com/ThomasJefferson.html

THOMAS JEFFERSON: Notes on Religion, passed in the Assembly of Virginia, in the Year, 1786. "I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology. Million of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one-half the world fools and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth."

Before we get rolling on John Kerry’s commitment to a “global test” for American foreign policy, let’s take a look at the latest giant leap for mankind that took place over the Mojave Desert in California this week. The two events are related, in a curious way. SpaceShipOne was an ugly duckling, designed by Burt Rutan for the precise purpose of winning the Ansari X Prize of $10 million. A generation from now, no one will remember the name of the prize, only the fact of the first private, entrepreneurial step into space. Just like no one today remembers the...

It was a contest of titans: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two heroes of the Revolutionary era, once intimate friends, now icy antagonists locked in a fierce battle for the future of the United States. The election of 1800 was a thunderous clash of a campaign that climaxed in a deadlock in the Electoral College and led to a crisis in which the young republic teetered on the edge of collapse. Adams vs. Jefferson is a gripping account of a true turning point in American history, a dramatic struggle between two parties with profoundly different visions of how the nation...

Thomas Jefferson warned, “Whenever a man casts a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct." John Kerry has hungered for the White House since he was a student and even took a video camera with him to Vietnam. In 1823, Jefferson wrote: “History may distort truth, and will distort it for a time, by the superior efforts at justification of those who are conscious of needing it most." John Kerry wrote his own report and insists that his official naval records be taken at face value, while refusing to fulfill his promise to release his medical records....

(For the latest FBI forensic research on Thomas Jefferson's letter click here. For an exemplary analysis of the context of this exchange between the Danbury Baptists and Jefferson, see Daniel L Dreisbach's "'Sowing Useful Truths and Principles': The Danbury Baptists, Thomas Jefferson, and the 'Wall of Separation'" in the Journal of Church and State, Vol. 39, Summer 1997.) The address of the Danbury Baptist Association in the State of Connecticut, assembled October 7, 1801. To Thomas Jefferson, Esq., President of the United States of America Sir, Among the many millions in America and Europe who rejoice in your election to...

NEW YORK -- They stood on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, on the afternoon of September 11, 2001, looking west to Manhattan, toward the fires that had turned the horizon a bright orange that rose to great heights against a perfect, pitiless blue sky. Observing this terrible beauty, the residents of the neighborhood danced in the streets, laughing, shouting to each other, shaking hands. These people were not what one would suppose to be fanatical or militant Muslims. They were people who had come to these shores from the Middle East, mostly shopkeepers, bakers, purveyors of eastern spices, tradesmen, cab drivers...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Observations on Independence Day, 2004        Thomas Jefferson clung to life on July 3, 1826. Confined to his bed at Monticello, he fought death, wishing to prolong life by one day, so he could live to see the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.        Jefferson's physician and two grandsons kept an around-the-clock vigil on the dying 83-year-old former third president. ''Is it the fourth?'' Jefferson asked several times as he slipped in and out of consciousness.        At 9 p.m. on the evening of July 3, Jefferson refused his nightly medicine, saying, ''No, doctor, nothing more.''...

In the event you missed it, last week's PBS show "Washington Week in Review" discussed the presidential campaign between John Kerry, George Bush, Ralph Nader and Thomas Jefferson. Here is a transcript of the segment: Gwen Ifill (Host): It's not surprising that John Kerry and George Bush are still running neck and neck, but the big news of the week is the huge drop in the polls for Libertarian candidate Thomas Jefferson. CBS is now projecting that he will get fewer votes than Ralph Nader. Michael Duffy (Time Magazine): I have never seen a candidate with such radical ideas and...

This week we formally dedicated the World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The center of the Memorial is a reflecting pool in front of a curved wall on which there are 4,050 golden stars, each of them representing one hundred Americans who gave the last full measure of devotion in that conflict. This was the long-delayed memorial for the 16 million Americans who served in that conflict, only a quarter of whom are still alive. A substantial number of those were in attendance at the dedication. Of course, World War II was not the war in...

John Kerry, apparent Democrat nominee for President, is the more important person with the less important problem. Jamie Gorelick, member of the 9/11 Commission, is the reverse. So in explaining why each is unfit for the position he seeks and the one she holds, we begin with Kerry. We’ll use a version of a game we all played at an early age, “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” to deal with Kerry and Gorelick. This week ABC came up with a videotape of Senator Kerry saying the opposite then of what he’s saying now about his “medals thrown over the...

Most Americans probably think the Islamic terrorists declared war on the United States Sept. 11, 2001. Actually, it started a long time before – right from the birth of the nation. When George Washington was serving as president in 1784, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were commissioned by the first Congress to assemble in Paris to see about marketing U.S. products in Europe. Jefferson quickly surmised that the biggest challenge facing U.S. merchant ships were those referred to euphemistically as "Barbary pirates." They weren't "pirates" at all, in the traditional sense, Jefferson noticed. They didn't drink and chase...

"The Passion of the Christ," a movie that highlights Jesus' suffering and crucifixion, has met with both strong praise and heated criticism. Yet virtually no one has condemned this movie for championing the anti-life ideas fundamental to religion. By contrasting the ethical codes of two moral ideals -- Jesus of the Bible and "The Passion," symbolized by the Crucifix, and architect Howard Roark of "The Fountainhead," a novel by philosopher Ayn Rand, symbolized by his stance atop his skyscraper -- we can understand why this condemnation is needed. Christianity preaches that the ideal moral man sacrificed his life for a...

Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with thy spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there...