Free Republic

Audio 39:53 John Batchelor interviews Gregg Jones author of new book Last Stand at Khe Sahn (Vietnam)

There has been a lot of consternation that Common Core and new Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) standards eviscerate the understanding of our exceptional history. Most concerning is the anti-historical emphasis on social justice, globalism, environmentalism, race, class, and gender victimhood that undermines Western ideals, the Constitution, capitalism, and American culture. Up to this point, definitive proof the new “standards” were deleterious was anecdotal. But facts now show not only intent, but a vision and mission that bring schools face to face with forces bent on instilling a false shame Americas past for the purpose of establishing a global...

The eight-day Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) holiday, which begins on Wednesday evening, commemorates the Israelites’ 40-year trek from Egypt to the Promised Land. As God commands (Lev. 23:42-43): Ye shall dwell in booths seven days….That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt…. Today, many generations later, sukkot—makeshift, decorated huts—sprout all over Israel for the holiday, recalling the ancient Israelites’ rude, temporary dwellings in the desert.But Sukkot is also an autumn harvest festival, and very much tied to the Land of Israel itself....

Earlier this year, an event happened that did not receive wide notice. The last of the Von Trapp Family Singers, the last of the children—the real ones—died. Her name was Maria—not to be confused with the lady played by Julie Andrews, Maria Augusta Trapp, who died in 1987. Maria Von Trapp’s death in February 2014 marks the end of an era. The Sound of Music deserves its accolades as the Movie of the Year (1965) and one of the finest films ever made. Even my one-year-old granddaughter is mesmerized by the puppet scene. As a film it is an icon....

1. Myth: Tarring and feathering could be fatal. Busted: The notion that hot tar caused severe, sometimes fatal burns is based on the assumption that “tar” meant the asphalt we use on roads, which is typically stored in liquid state at about 300°F (150°C). But in the eighteenth century “tar” meant pine tar, used for several purposes in building and maintaining ships. As any baseball fan knows, pine tar doesn’t have to be very hot to be sticky. Shipyards did warm that tar to make it flow more easily, but pine tar starts to melt at about 140°F (60°C). That’s...

For those who know little history, today’s battle with ISIS in the Middle East may seem new and unprecedented. It is not. In a.d. 622, Mohammed set out from Medina to conquer the whole Christian world for Allah by force of arms. Within a hundred years, his successors had occupied and pillaged every Christian capital of the Middle East, from Antioch through North Africa (home of Saint Augustine) and Spain. All that remained outside Allah’s reign was the northern arc from Southern France to Constantinople. What we are seeing in 2014 has a history of more than 1,300 years —...

The discovery demonstrates the presence of an ancient human population in America's Far West at the end of the last ice age. It was found that human coprolites were of Siberia-east Asian origins and is between 13,000 and 13,200 years old. The findings also confirmed that these fossilized samples were a thousand years older than the Clovis civilization, Paleo-Indian people who were used to reside in New Mexico around 11,500 years ago. Jenkins's work at the site began in 2002, but archaeologists first began exploring the caves as early as 1938. He said, "As we have used increasingly sophisticated scientific...

A half-dozen senators fighting for their political lives — and their party’s hold on the majority — in tough races while trying to avoid being dragged down by an unpopular president and the stark reality that second-term midterm elections almost never work out for the side controlling the White House. 2014? Yes — but also 2006, an election cycle that Republicans are increasingly beginning to see as a parallel to this one as the fight for control of the Senate enters its final four weeks. “During that cycle, our guys in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Missouri, Montana and Ohio could...

It could have the United States’ main battle rifle. Instead, it became “the right arm of the free world.” Name a war, revolution, or revolt during the Cold War that involved the British Commonwealth, Western European nations or their allies and you found the Fabrique Nationale FAL in the hands of the soldiers fighting the battles. No wonder the FAL earned its nickname and became a symbol of the struggle against Communism. Starting immediately after World War II, FN produced two million copies of the Fusil Automatique Léger—or Light Automatic Rifle. More than 90 nations adopted the weapon. At one...

One man made the discovery of a lifetime while out on a recent hike. Jordan Liles, who currently lives in San Diego, California, was in Tennessee back in May 2013 when he decided to take some photos  during a trek through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Those photos turned out to be incredibly interesting when the young man managed to stumble across a seemingly forgotten town in the woods.

The soot-smudged flag that flew atop the Capitol on 9/​11 was destroyed Friday in a fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Penn., less than a month after it arrived in Somerset County.

The clash between Islam and the Western world is as old as Islam itself, but perhaps as misunderstood as any great historical conflict. In what is sure to shed light on this timely topic, worldwide Catholic satellite network EWTN will air special television episodes this coming week. As the Islamist radical group ISIS rampages through Christian and other minority religious communities from Syria to Iraq--killing, raping, driving out inhabitants, and wantonly destroying holy sites--the West seems paralyzed and reluctant to retaliate against Muslim aggressors.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday returns to work to face a rich and varied docket, including cases on First Amendment rights in the digital age, religious freedom behind bars and the status of Jerusalem. Those cases are colorful and consequential, but there are much bigger ones on the horizon. “I’m more excited about the next 12 months at the Supreme Court than about any Supreme Court term in its modern history,” said Thomas C. Goldstein, who argues frequently before the court and is the publisher of Scotusblog. In the coming weeks, the justices will most likely agree to...

Author Sam Harris and HBO’s “Real Time” anchor Bill Maher debated actor Ben Affleck and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof on Maher’s earlier comments on radical Islam on Friday. Harris argued, “liberals have really failed on the topic of theocracy, they’ll criticize white theocracy, they’ll criticize Christians, they’ll still get agitated over the abortion clinic bombing that happen in 1984, but when you want to talk about the treatment of women and homosexuals and free thinkers and public intellectuals in the Muslim world, I would argue that liberals have failed us.” He added “the crucial point of confusion is...

Have you ever thought about joining the jihad? No? Neither have I, at least not in the sense that I might be the one doing the joining. I’ve thought about others joining, though. I’ve thought about privileged American white kids who convert to Islam and join the fight to reestablish the Caliphate.

I've been campaigning against Common Core for six years -– this VIDEO is one of the best things I've seen. A bit long at 22 minutes but please watch it all. Yes, you'll be depressed and may even cry. This video confirms my sense that we should cancel Common Core entirely. Don't discuss or negotiate. The people behind Common Core are far-leftists. They will keep lying and manipulating. I don't imagine they will negotiate in good faith. ----- (My own most recent article is called "Common Core fulfills an ugly dream." It gives an historical perspective. On Examiner.com. Just Google...

I was doing a Google Search on 'Why The Roman Empire Fell'. I was sincerely shocked at the reason. The United States is now in the same position as when the Roman Empire fell. History is repeating itself and very few people realize this.

Speculation about who the mysterious ancient tomb recently unearthed in Greece belongs to continues, with one academic now suggesting Alexander the Great’s mother was buried there. A number of scholars believe that the presence of female figures, known as caryatids, show that the tomb in the Amphipolis region of Serres belongs to a female. However, one expert has gone as far as to state that he believes that archaeologists could eventually discover the remains of Alexander the Great's parent, Olympias, inside. Writer Andrew Chugg, who has published a book on the search for the legendary leader's tomb, as well as...

(click image to enlarge) If you've read the Bible, then you've probably come across the phrase "gird up your loins." I've always thought it was a funny turn of phrase. Loins….heh. Back in the days of the ancient Near East, both men and women wore flowing tunics.

Neil deGrasse Tyson faked a Bush quote and belatedly apologized for it after the resulting controversy spilled into the Washington Post. But true to Tysonism, his apology consisted of various empty profundities and self-promotion climaxing in… I will still mention Islamic Extremists flying planes into buildings in the 21st century. I will still contrast it with the Golden Age of Islam a millennium earlier. And I will still mention the President’s quote. But instead, I will be the one contrasting what actually happened in the world with what the Bible says: The Arabs named the stars, not God. Tyson is...