Free Republic

An element of political correctness has fed into this election's unknowns; people are afraid to talk, to joke, to be themselves. Last week, journalist Betsy Fischer Martin took umbrage over a United Airlines pilot's compliment to flight attendants; he called them “pretty young ladies.” Martin used her large Twitter following to demand that United do something about the pilot's behavior. This outrage-industry of the left is crushing us. Everyone is 1 degree away from melting like a snowflake over some imagined slight, and everyone is afraid to talk about it, for fear of sounding offensive or being labeled anything that...

This photo of soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the rain has gone viral over social media especially Facebook in advance of Hurricane Sandy. Soldiers of the 3rd Inf Reg. continue to stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, despite the worsening weather conditions surrounding Hurricane Sandy. The tomb has been guarded continuously since 1948. The photo was taken by Karin Evink Markerton at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, September 18, 2012, in the rain. Markerton posted a note on her Facebook wall to people tracking the origin of the photo....

From crating up the bombs and bullets, to shrink-wrapping the helicopters, to counting up the endless tiers of port-a-potties, the pullout of U.S. combat forces from Iraq, when it inevitably comes, will rank as the longest-planned withdrawal ever. Despite the years of preparation, the Pentagon's painstaking planners just as inevitably will be challenged by the unknowables of a country at war, the vagaries of politics, the harshness of terrain and climate. "Coming out of any theater of operations is tough," says retired Lt. Gen. Gus Pagonis. But packing to go home from that distant desert presents special problems, as simple...

ARLINGTON, Va. There are cracks in the white marble Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, and each year, those cracks go farther and deeper. The 74-year-old monument is not in danger of crumbling any time soon. But the cemetery is deciding whether to patch the fissures or replace the marble altogether. The tomb has been patched repeatedly, most recently in 1989. John Metzler, the cemetery's superintendent, says the cemetery could repair it, do nothing or buy an extra marble block and store it as a standby. He worries that some of the carved sculptures could eventually fall off....

Dear Friends,I am pleased to endorse Howard Kaloogian for U.S. Congress. He has been thoroughly tested over the years in the political battles in Sacramento and has proven himself time and again as a stalwart defender of the family and traditional values. His leadership in the recall of Gov. Gray Davis showed his ability to make a plainspoken case for restoring common sense to state government.As a member of the U.S. House, Howard will do the same. He will quickly become a legislative leader at a time when conservative, common sense leadership is desperately needed to preserve marriage, stand...

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to...