Free Republic

The War Over Nixon The ghost of our most divisive modern president haunts efforts to make his library tell the truth by Scott Martelle Tim Naftali thought docents at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum should be honest about the Watergate tapes. The docents, though, couldn’t talk about what they didn’t know. “I had docents come to me and say, ‘Is there anything incriminating on the tapes?’ ” says Naftali, the library director. The tapes were so damaging to Richard M. Nixon that they were a reason he resigned as president of the United States. Naftali also thought the docents...

A Small Victory? By Anne Walker As regular readers of my blog know, I have been very upset that the docents at the Nixon Library and Museum were “fired” from conducting student tours. After seventeen years of leading the school tours, they were replaced by people, many of them interns, working with the National Archives. This has resulted in blatant disrespect for the President we represent and incidents of revisionist history. The reason, we were told, is that the docents were too political and positive. Now, why I ask you, would someone want to donate hours and hours to...

The Cocktail Party Are you nauseated and frightened by the growth of Tea Party organizing, and the zany old white people in funny hats at the center of the current media blitz? It’s time to fight back! Join The Cocktail Party, a barstool-roots movement for left wing urban homosexuals and the people who love us. The major planks of this new movement’s platform include: *Nationalize the banks *Soak the rich with high taxes *Abolish the Senate *Abolish the Electoral College *Free public education through college for all *Free day care for elders and children *National health care *Universal accessibility...

Et tu, Brute… Shortly after becoming director of the Nixon Library in 2007, Dr. Timothy Naftali invited the nation’s press in to witness the removal of the Nixon Library’s Watergate exhibit. Declaring, “I can’t run a shrine,” he gleefully presided over the destruction of the exhibit, which resulted in numerous articles reporting that the “whitewash of Watergate” was over at the Nixon Library. Dr. Naftali went on to assert, “The challenge is to present a controversial, traumatic and important story in a fair and historically accurate way.” By any measure, he has failed his own definition of success. Two...

"Instead of pushing the funding (for hurricane defense) up, they took most of it away to fight this stupid war, and that's unforgivable. I think Bush is just about the poorest president we've ever had. You'd have to go back before I was born to find a worse one." - 77-year-old singer Burt Bacharach

Vernon Dalhart, the most popular singer in America during the 1920's, recorded many songs about the great disasters of that decade, inlcuding hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, explosions, airship crashes, and train wrecks. His hit recording about the massive flood in the lower Mississippi Valley in 1927 seems eerily timely. The Mississippi Flood Another great disaster has come upon our land, Down where the Mississippi flows on its way so grand. The springtime flowers were blooming, the world was bright and gay, And folks along the levee were happy all the day. Ane then the skies grew cloudy, and rain came falling...

Manteo Booksellers' Annual Herbert Hoover Celebration Each year, on August 10th, we celebrate the birthday of the man who loved poetry, dogs and fishing (not necessarily in that order). We have a fun-filled author event, live musical entertainment, Happy Birthday Herbie cakes, our world-famous "Herbert Sherbert" punch, Herbie trivia contest (all the answers are available in the Herbert Hoover fun facts posted throughout the bookshop on his birthday) and our own Herbie shrine loaded with Herbert Hoover memorabilia and our private collection of Hoover books for guests to peruse

Whittaker Chambers: Man of Courage and Faith by Lee Edwards, Ph.D.Executive Memorandum #735 April 2, 2001 The wave of publicity about Robert Hanssen, a veteran FBI agent who became a master spy for the Russians, brings to mind a far different man--Whittaker Chambers, a veteran Soviet spy who became, in William F. Buckley Jr.'s words, "the most important American defector from Communism." This April marks the 100th anniversary of Chambers' birth. In August 1948, Chambers, an editor at Time, identified Alger Hiss, a golden boy of the liberal establishment, as a fellow member of his underground Communist cell in...

Goldwater's 1964 Acceptance Speech The following is the text of Barry Goldwater's 1964 speech at the 28th Republican National Convention, accepting the nomination for president. Provided by the Arizona Historical Foundation To my good friend and great Republican, Dick Nixon, and your charming wife, Pat; my running mate and that wonderful Republican who has served us well for so long, Bill Miller and his wife, Stephanie; to Thurston Morton who has done such a commendable job in chairmaning this Convention; to Mr. Herbert Hoover, who I hope is watching; and to that great American and his wife, General and...

A textbook case of stupidity: Assembly's call for 200-page-limit on student reading matter is beyond folly By HUGH GLENN The Anaheim resident is an education consultant and online editor who lives in Anaheim. Efforts to dumb down California public schools continue unabated. The most recent action is the Assembly passing AB 756, a bill by Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg that would prevent school districts from using any instructional material that exceeds 200 pages. Assemblyman Keith Richman calls it "ridiculous" and "the epitome of micromanagement." Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, surprisingly, has remained silent. Astoundingly, 42 legislators (including Orange...

ANOTHER GEORGIA PUBLIK SKOOL STORY June 5, 2005 This one comes to us from Atlanta talk-show host Neal Boortz... + + + We talked about this one on the show yesterday (June 1), but it didn't make the Nuze. So here we go...the story of the Anita White Carson Middle School in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia. Our cast of characters is as follows: * Matthew Lund, first year teacher * Ulrica Corbett, Principal. * Zach Richardson, Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. So .. here's the story, gleaned from the front page of the May 26th edition of Greensboro Herald-Journal. Matthew...

SPIN CITY & THE FILI-BLUSTER Thanks to Republican "moderates," a "deal" has now been struck where the Democrats will be allowed to continue obstructing judicial nominees when they see fit and Republicans get...well, pretty much squat. They had the carpet pulled out from under them and woke up this morning with a big ol' egg covering their face, thanks to what the mainstream media considers to be the Magnificent Seven. Here's the roster: Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island Mike DeWine of Ohio Susan Collins of Maine Lindsey Graham of South Carolina John McCain of Arizona John W. Warner of...

*************************** ANOTHER GEORGIA PUBLIC SCHOOL STORY “Two seniors at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School (in DeKalb, Georgia) will miss their baccalaureate--but make their graduation--after a stink that started over a cake knife. Because of the school's zero tolerance policy on weapons, Ashley Pickens and Candace Grier, both honor students, were suspended from school for 10 days and told they would not be allowed to attend their baccalaureate ceremonies. “The DeKalb school superintendent upheld that punishment but decided to allow the girls to walk with their classmates during graduation. “The trouble started when the girls brought a cake to...

For The GOP, A Warning By Vincent Fiore April 25, 2005 These days, it's hard to tell just who the majority party in Washington really is. But according to the last several national elections, Republicans have won the House, the Senate, and the presidency. As Bush begins his second term with increased majorities in both House and Senate chambers, it seems that the more power Republicans garner via the voters, the less resolve and political courage they display. If you believe you sense the beginnings of a commentary that may be less than complimentary to the GOP, trust your...

<p>Conventional wisdom is clear: Washington's intervention in the Terri Schiavo case hurt the GOP big-time. A Time Magazine poll found that three-quarters of the public thought Congress was wrong to intervene after a hospice, under court order, pulled the disabled woman's feeding tube, while 70 percent disapproved of President Bush's role int eh saga.</p>

HITLER'S GHOSTThey came for the unborn, and I did nothing, for I was already born. They came for the nearly born, and I did nothing, for it had nothing to do with me. Then they came for the infirm, the mute, the least among us... Hitler's ghost still wanders this world . It is set to claim another victim unless someone intervenes. Many of us thought it might have evaporated when Arafat finally died. Nope. It's still here, scratching for its next soul fix. A commentor on a post below compares Terri to broccoli. Get it--a vegetable? Har dee...

Hitler Lives We hear lots of talk today up and down life's broad highway, Whether Hitler died in old Berlin. Here's hone thing I'm telling you, you can bet your life, it's true: If we forget, then Hitler lives again. Hitler lives if we hurt our fellow man. Hitler lives if we forget. Those who fought where heroes died That our flag might float on high, If we forget, Hitler lives, Hitler lives. I see buddies here and there, mighty lonesome in dispair; Got no home, and got no job, and got no friends. If their troubles you ignore, if...

The Nixon Library Can't Be TrustedDavid Greenberg, in the LAT (3-15-05): [Mr. Greenberg is a professor at Rutgers University. His book, Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image, was recently published in paperback by W.W. Norton.] It's rare for a scholarly conference to make the newspapers. It's rarer for a conference to make the papers when it never takes place. But that's what happened recently when the Richard M. Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda canceled a symposium on Nixon and the Vietnam War that it had planned to sponsor with Whittier College. The cancellation provoked an uproar....

EXCERPTS FROM ACHESON'S SPEECH TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB JANUARY 12, 1950 This afternoon I should like to discuss with you the relations between the peoples of the United States and the peoples of Asia.... What is the situation in regard to the military security of the Pacific area, and what is our policy in regard to it? In the first place, the defeat and the disarmament of Japan has placed upon the United States the necessity of assuming the military defense of Japan so long as that is required, both in the interest of our security and in...

Moore sparks all emotions Documentarian filmmaker drew applause and protests while speaking to thousands in McCarthy Quad Thursday By Dara Nichols More than 5,000 students, parents and faculty gathered to listen to author and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore discuss politics and call for the removal of President Bush from office Thursday night in McCarthy Quad. Aside from frequently teasing a group of approximately 125 Bush supporters who protested the event, Moore showed seven unreleased spoof ads about President Bush that criticized and mocked the recent Swift Boat advertisements. Moore also brought out several guest speakers, including Tom Morello from...