Free Republic

Gratuitous Hatred Is Destroying Republicans — Just as It Did the Ancient Israelites By Dennis Prager — March 1, 2016 I have been a radio talk-show host for 33 years, nationally syndicated for 18. I have never experienced anything similar to what I am experiencing now. Until recently, the only hate mail I ever received was from a small number of people on the left. The major reason for this, I am convinced, is that I don’t yell at callers and I treat callers who disagree with respect. Reading my e-mails these days is a brand-new experience. I receive hate...

The culture war might be likened to fighting a war against a coalition of powers. Imagine WWI-style trench warfare on a long front. In the center of the enemy lines are the forces of moral relativism. These forces oppose the idea that there is a universal moral law. On one flank are the forces of the sexual revolution, including gays, feminists, adulterers, the promiscuous, and the pro-abortion folks. On the other flank are the cultural relativists, and multiculturalists. This camp opposes the ideas of truth, beauty, and intrinsic quality. It seeks to suppress the literary, philosophical, and artistic heritage of...

You owe your life — and everything else — to the sovereign. The rights of subjects are not natural rights, but merely grants from the sovereign. There is no right even to complain about the actions of the sovereign, except insofar as the sovereign allows the subject to complain. These are the principles of unlimited, arbitrary, and absolute power, the principles of such rulers as Louis XIV. Intellectuals have assiduously promoted them; think of Jean Bodin and Thomas Hobbes. A new intellectual champion of absolutism has now emerged. Mild-mannered University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein has been advancing the...

Having it Both Ways on "Values" By William Voegeli Posted April 14, 2005 Some assessments of Pope John Paul II have, inevitably, viewed him through a prism that breaks every source of light into the red and blue of states on the American electoral map. Consider a shrill column by Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post. John Paul was, he says, the "founding father" of "Orthodox International," the reactionary force that unites Muslims and Jews, Protestants and Catholics against "a common enemy"—"modernization and the demand for equality." Meyerson is particularly angry with the vast orthodox conspiracy for its "misogyny and...

This essay is the third in a series designed to dissect the totalitarian mentality portrayed in George Orwell's 1984 and to draw parallels to trends in modern academia and the socipolitical arena of today. The following is an index of previous portions of this commentary: 1. Collectivism: http://www.geocities.com/rationalargumentator/Collectivism.html 2. Antiprogressivism: http://www.geocities.com/rationalargumentator/Orwells_Warning.html 3. Relativism - You are here. Read on to continue your analysis of this topic. The tribalist mentality and horrifying consequences of Party dictatorship having been revealed, there remains a fundamental matter to address, the means by which the Party conveys its stranglehold to the masses, i.e. the dogma...

The people of Liechtenstein went to the polls yesterday to decide whether their ruling prince should become Europe's last absolute monarch, after a bitter campaign that shattered the Alpine calm with threats, insults and a dead cat. The referendum is the climax of a 10-year row between Prince Hans-Adam II, a billionaire entrepreneur who owns the largest bank in the tiny state, and his political foes. Mud-slinging and intimidation has divided families and friends. Many fear the peace and tranquility of their affluent, 62-square-mile tax haven squeezed between Switzerland and Austria has been shattered for ever. The 58-year-old prince, a...

Francis Schaeffer:The Last Great Modern Theologian(and the reason why I have a goatee!) by David Hopkinsaccessdavid@hotmail.comhttp://www.monkhouse.org/davidImages taken from www.rationalpi.com/theshelter Francis Schaeffer Standing at the melting point The reader may wonder why I would write an article about the "last great modern theologian" in a publication that so proudly dedicates itself to post-modern thought and inquiry. In truth, we should not be so arrogant about what the modern legacy has left to us. The contributions of faithful disciples and scholars from previous generations can be of great worth. I would go so far to say even a book review of Augustine?s...