Free Republic

Ken Burns and PBS want to teach us the history of the American Revolution. That’s objectively laudable, but from the opening seconds of his new six-part, 12-hour-long series on the Revolution, Burns is off to a truly ludicrous start. Why do I say that? Because instead of beginning with the events that led to the break with Britain in 1775, Burns (after an anodyne quote from Thomas Paine) opens with an Indian diatribe about land.That is not surprising. Lest there be any question as to what Burns intends for us to learn about the American Revolution, Burns stated in an...

Scouting America responded on Tuesday to a reported memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking to cut ties with the organization, saying it was “surprised and disappointed” by the potential policy change, as the military has given its support to the Scouts since 1937. Congress requires the Pentagon to support Scouting America’s Jamboree, lending trucks, ambulances and medical teams free of charge. “The Scouting movement has had a strong relationship with our nation’s military going back more than a century,” according to the group. “From the tremendous support of the West Virginia National Guard at our National Jamborees to Scout...

The Fighting Irish may be tearing it up on the football field (and once again toying with major dad's emotions as they head into the college playoffs), but back at the auld sod from whence the football team springs - the CATHOLIC University in South Bend, Indiana - there has been some verbal artillery flying and battles fought of their own since the 10th of November. That was the day the University announced a set of 'refreshed staff values' as part of a fall staff town hall.University leaders discussed Notre Dame’s response to the changing higher education environment, academic updates,...

VIDEOWhich is funnier? Seeing an "authentic" Native American dance consisting of such moves as the Harlem Shuffle crossed over with the Spring Slide or watching shocked woke Garden Grove, CA school board members trying to stifle any reaction to that dance for fear of being thought culturally insensitive? If they smile or laugh they could be accused of the latter but by showing disapproval they could be accused of disrespect. So what to do? Best to just FREEZE and display no reaction while praying that the Native American displaying moves from the ancient era of the 70s and 80s when...

In his second term, President Donald Trump certainly hasn’t been afraid to go bold — and now it could be the stock market’s turn. The slate of reforms under consideration could be the biggest positive development for our financial markets since the early days of the Reagan administration, if not since the creation of the federal securities laws themselves. It could also finally put the brakes on the rise of “woke capital.” For years, political activists have been using America’s biggest corporations as vehicles for their social agenda. They call it “ESG” — environmental, social and governance investing — but...

OPINION/ANALYSIS The Battalion student newspaper at Texas A&M university does not seem to be a fan of conservative student thought. An analysis of the 60 opinion pieces focused on politics published since November 2024 found that nearly all of them — 50 — leaned liberal (35), left-leaning (5), far-left (5), and liberal satire (5). Only 7 of the opinion political pieces were moderate or neutral, and a total of three were conservative, or a ratio of almost 17 to 1 liberal to conservative. The research was conducted by student Justino Russell, who was inspired to dig into the analysis after...

Adam Johnston @adamkjohnston Less than 3 minutes into the Ken Burns documentary on the American Revolution, and we get: 1. White people are bad. 2. Native Americans had a centuries-old democracy before British colonists arrived. 3. Benjamin Franklin copied the Native American blueprint.

The University of Notre Dame has ixnayed and expunged the school’s historic Catholic mission from its staff values and instead chosen to adopt a “refreshed” set of generic concepts like “community.”According to the Daily Caller:The University of Notre Dame has dropped the school’s historic Catholic mission from its staff values and adopted a “refreshed” set of generic concepts like “community” instead, though it will still identify as a “Catholic research university.”The Catholic school’s list of staff values previously included requiring that one “Understands, accepts, and supports the Catholic mission of the university and fosters values consistent with that mission.” Now,...

Washington (AFP) – In a sharp change, the United States said Thursday that its signature human rights report would start tracking countries that support gender changes for children and diversity and equity programs. Specifically, the report will ask US embassies to report on countries that allow "chemical or surgical mutilation of children in operations that attempt to modify their sex." Rubio also asked embassies to track "enforcement of policies like affirmative action of diversity, equity and inclusion that 'provide preferential treatment' to workers on the basis of race, sex or caste." The issues reflect top priorities for Trump since he...

Target sinks to new low as customers flee in droves - forcing bosses into drastic move Inflation-weary shoppers are steering clear of Target's messy, understaffed stores. On Wednesday morning, the Minneapolis chain with 1,980 stores said third-quarter profit took yet another hit, deepening a slide that has now stretched across three straight years. Target's slump comes from a four-headed monster: shabby stores, sinking staff morale, jittery investors, and a leadership shake-up waiting in the wings. And the pain isn't ending anytime soon. Executives warned the sales slump will drag straight through the critical holiday shopping season. To stop the bleeding,...

A former Air Force Intelligence officer has pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement when she claimed her then-estranged astronaut wife committed the first crime in space, according to authorities. Summer Worden, 50, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 maximum fine for falsely alleging top NASA astronaut and then-spouse Anna McClain accessed Worden’s bank account from the International Space Station, the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas said in a press release. Worden’s guilty plea Thursday put an end to a bitter legal feud with McClain. Worden alleged McClain had guessed the password and illegally...

Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab is stepping up its succession planning efforts as it prepares for Tim Cook to step down as chief executive of the tech giant as soon as next year, the Financial Times reported on Friday. John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, is widely seen as Cook's most likely successor, the FT reported, citing several people familiar with discussions. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds denounced the wing of his party he claims is threatening to “co-opt the conservative movement” during a speech at a Miami-Dade GOP fundraiser this week, after an anti-immigration candidate started teasing a primary run against him in Florida’s gubernatorial race. “Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there is this strain going on on the right — they’re calling it the ‘woke right,’” U.S. Rep. Donalds said Tuesday. “There’s some strain going on that’s now saying, ‘Not just no illegal immigration, but no legal immigration.’” His comments during the annual Miami Dade GOP Lincoln Day Dinner...

The U.S. Department of Education has contracted with far-right organizations Turning Point USA and the Heritage Foundation to develop a “patriotic” curriculum, perpetuating Stephen Miller’s guttural threat that “Children will be taught to love America. Children will be taught to be patriots.” Miller’s words echoed Joseph Goebbels’ commitment to indoctrinate children in 1930s Germany. On Veterans Day, we recall how 1950s American kindergartners learned to love our country. We stood proudly facing the flag with hands over our hearts, pledging “allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation...

One of four journalists recently fired by Condé Nast for confronting the company’s head of human resources is asking internet users for help covering his rent. Ex-senior writer for Wired Jake Lahut was seen in a Wednesday video clip standing feet away from HR boss Stan Duncan as angry employees confronted to exec over layoffs tied to Condé’s downsizing of Teen Vogue. The layoffs of Lahut and three others came just hours later. Lahut wrote on Spotfund that he’s seeking short-term help in the wake of his firing. “After getting terminated as one of the Fired Four at Condé Nast,...

It’s called the “gender gap” (should be “sex gap,” really) in voting, and, boy, did it ever manifest itself Tuesday night. In fact, November 4 was a great day for the GOP. That is, in an alternate universe in which only men vote. Let’s go down the list. In Virginia there were three major races, and men broke Republican in all of them. They went for Winsome Earle-Sears for governor (all figures represent percentages), 53-47; John Reid for lieutenant governor, 55-44; and Jason Miyares for attorney general, 57-42. Meanwhile, in the upside-down, women broke Democrat in all three races by...

A writer who led the charge against a fellow author over claims her award-winning memoir was racist has posted a tearful video begging people not to drag up the 'past'. Monisha Rajesh, who is now an author in her own right, was one of the earliest critics of Kate Clanchy's 2020 book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me, which won the prestigious Orwell Prize for political writing. The memoir, based on Clanchy's 30 years teaching in state schools, came under fire a year after its release when readers accused her of using 'racist' and 'dehumanising' descriptions of...

From the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, this depressing statistic: 34% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have a favorable opinion of communism: To say you like communism, you have to be a moron. And you have to know absolutely nothing about history. And you must be getting your information from ill-intentioned, malicious sources. What sources might those be? The public schools. What other explanation is there for young people developing a fondness for communism? I think we have reached the point where it is a serious question whether, on balance, our public schools do more harm than...

A Portland Democrat who once called for homeless individuals to be given housing suffered an ironic and cruel twist of fate last week. As The Oregonian reported, 51-year-old homeless man Vashon Locust was arrested on Tuesday after starting a fire that torched Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos’ townhome and car. He faces charges of reckless burning, second-degree mischief, and trespassing. These are all misdemeanors. According to a police affidavit obtained by the paper, Locust snuck into a shed near Avalos’ home on October 26 and attempted to use an electric outlet. When that failed, he set a fire to stay...

Mother Miriam speaks out about her concern over Pope Leo’s apparent support for the LGBTQ agenda, highlighting a recent Mass at the Vatican held for a gay pilgrimage led by Father James Martin. She reflects on how such actions and endorsements conflict with the Church’s consistent teaching on marriage, sexuality, and the sanctity of life. Drawing directly from Scripture, Mother Miriam explains what the Bible says about homosexuality and emphasizes the importance of repentance, chastity, and living in accordance with God’s plan for human sexuality. With her characteristic courage and pastoral heart, she calls on Catholics to remain steadfast in...