Free Republic

A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners—two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At...

You can't flip through a newspaper or wander around the Internet these days without stumbling across a debate over whether bloggers are journalists. This isn't trivial. Journalists often get access to places and information that others don't. Because they're surrogates for the public, they can get close to the action when emergencies break out. They benefit from the California Shield Law, which allows them, in most instances, to keep secret sources secret.... The Federal Elections Commission soon will explore whether campaign-finance laws apply to partisan bloggers whose work may, in effect, be akin to donating their services to campaigns.... It's...

Exclusive! Ambrose Bierce on Terrorism His Own Words interviewed by Don Swaim BIERCE: I knew you'd be back eventually, Mr. Swaim. SWAIM: Mr. Bierce, we beg your counsel. On September 11, the worst terrorist attack in the history of America occurred in New York, and... BIERCE: "Celestial bird," I cried in pain, / "What vandal wrought this wreck? Explain." SWAIM: Precisely, Mr. Bierce, what vandal indeed? Americans need clarity. We must know what sort of people would commit such a deed, flying heavily fueled airliners into tall buildings at the cost of thousands of lives. BIERCE: I always warned against...