Free Republic

Natalie Nichols faces prison for defending the Pledge

DON’T FORGET NEXT WEEK, JULY 29TH. WE ARE HAVING THE LAST BIG GET TOGETHER TO CHEER OUR WOUNDED WARRIORS THRU THE GATE. This will be the last chance to see everyone together. A special invite goes out to the past regulars who stood at the gate in our early years. List of 11 Patriots at Walter Reed this ‘warm’ night: Lurkers Bill, Jim, Terri and Brian, and FReepers 3DJoy, BufordP, Fraxinus, RongKirby, Tammy Cat, [Mrs] T and myself. Pics by [Mrs] T [Mrs} T gives this report: Friday night was awesome. We had two things that made it that way....

Our nation was predicated on unalienable rights with governance through family, church and community, each rightfully sovereign within its sphere. Human dignity, legal equality and personal freedom reflect biblical values imparted on Western Civilization, which retains these values in secular form while expunging their Author from public discourse. Americans are frequently reminded of what the revisionists deem our greatest achievement: “Separation of Church and State.” Crosses are ripped down in parks. Prayer has been banished from schools and the ACLU rampages to remove “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Moreover, “Separation of Church and State” is nowhere found in...

In an earlier piece, (Vanity) A Politically Correct Fourth of July, Part I: The Declaration of Independence, I gave a *very* brief treatment of the events which led up to the Declaration of Independence, and posted the full text of the Declaration, emphasizing those parts most vexing to liberals, namely, those which dealt with our rights as given by God, not merely bestowed upon the whim of the government. It is part of reclaiming into the national dialogue, the truth that our country was, has been, and should continue to be a Christian nation, despite the best efforts of the...

Monday, July 04, 2011 Chesterton Defines and Defends Patriotism The opening section of G. K. Chesterton's essay, "The Patriotic Idea", first published in 1904, and included in G. K. Chesterton: Collected Works, Volume XX: Christendom in Dublin, Irish Impressions, The New Jerusalem, A Short History of England (also available in softcover), which was edited by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.: I The scepticism of the last two centuries has attacked patriotism as it has attacked all the other theoretic passions of mankind, and in the case of patriotism the attack has been interesting and respectable because it has come from...

Yes, We Americans are Worthy By Norma Zager “I see America, not in the setting sun of a black night of despair ahead of us, I see America in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the burning, creative hand of God. I see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will and vision.” Carl Sandburg From time to time Ari and I disagree about certain points or conclusions in a postcard, then we present both the original point and its counter-point. Although I can concur with Ari’s conclusions that our armed forces are...

NATIONAL ANTHEM -- STAR SPANGLED BANNER by Francis Scott Key Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the...

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,...

It's July 4th. Independence Day. In honor of which, I thought it appropriate to take a moment to walk through history and recall first, why and how we got here, and to post the actual lyrics AND a bit of background on some common patriotic songs. Part I will be a VERY brief background to the Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence. Part II, to follow later to day, will look at the actual lyrics of a number of patriotic songs. Most of them, going beyond the first verse, are enough to make any self-respecting liberal or ACLU member soil...

(CNN)–It's a battle of belief - and the right not to believe - in a country founded on freedom. "I'm a patriotic American. I served my country. I get out there and celebrate the Fourth, too," Blair Scott, who calls himself a proud atheist, proclaimed. "This America belongs to everyone." Blair, the communications director for the New Jersey-based American Atheists, said atheists in the United States often feel alienated and face accusations of being anti-American because of their lack of belief in God. To combat those notions, his group is using Independence Day to say atheists love their country, too....

The long July 4th weekend at Walter Reed and in Washington, DC usually means a low volume of traffic in and out of WRAMC and up and down Georgia Ave. Not tonight. Two big ambulances arrived early with wounded soldiers reminding us why we are at the front gates. Bill Salutes Arriving Ambulance Early In The Evening, As It Turns Into Walter Reed We were all busy talking with wounded warriors who came out to be with us, and we were dealing with a significant volume of drivers honking and waving. Tonight, a DC motorcycle officer spent almost the entire...

A study out of Harvard University has advised Democratic Party officeholders and candidates to bypass participating in annual July 4th festivities. “The typical July 4th event promotes patriotism,” said Harvard Kennedy School of Government Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott. “This is not a strong point for most Democratic Party activists and leaders. Reminders that government ought to be limited to protecting the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness conflict with the basic message of the Democratic Party.” Democrats were advised to appropriate a different holiday for political purposes. Either Labor Day or May Day would be viable options,...

LET’S CELEBRATE THE ENTIRE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!! FReepers, did you read about the Harvard study suggesting that Fourth of July parades and celebrations are only good for conservatives? Well, it’s about time someone told the truth. Last night as we watched the sunset our neighbors were enjoying swimming with their kids, while another neighbor was starting to set up fireworks. It dawned on me, even this early, people were enjoying the celebration of the coming weekend. It was hard not to remember the great parades, fireworks celebrations, patriotic speeches, and all around family fun that is so prevalent during...

CBS/What's Trending) - Can celebrating the Fourth of July turn you into a Republican? A recent Harvard University study concludes holiday celebrations have a large impact into what shapes a child culturally, socially and politically. Case in point, the 4th of July. According to the study, there is a direct link between a child's participation in the national holiday and that same child's subsequent voting, party identification and party contribution habits. Here is the breakdown. According to the study, a successful Independence Day, more specifically one without rain, before the age of 18 raises the likelihood of identifying as a...

Will We Prove Worthy? By Ari Bussel There is a generation that understands the term “dodging the draft.” A war raged, far away from America’s shores, and many were convinced we should not be involved. Those were the days of flowers, peace, drugs and free love. War did not fit into this lifestyle. Decades passed. More wars were fought, in Iraq then in Afghanistan. The American resolve that was ironclad ten years ago weakened with the passage of time from the attacks on U.S. soil. The reason for going to war in 2003 against Saddam Hussein—as crazy and cruel as...

Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend's July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day. "Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation's political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party," said the report from Harvard.

Something is wrong with Barack Obama. We all know it. We all see it. When he speaks about America, Americans cringe. There is a strangeness to his manner, an unease when he talks about America. He appears awkward and uncomfortable. His speech seems performed and practiced yet, oddly halting. It's reminiscent of American POW's in Vietnam or Iraq reading a forced confession. His eyes, expressions, and vocal tone are disconnected from his words. The words themselves often sound American, but the delivery is clinical and detached. His attempts at patriotic sentiment ring hollow and phony. "Once again, with feeling!" is...

Pelosi invokes patriotism in tax cut debateBy: CNN's Alison Harding June 24th, 2011 06:00 PM ET Washington (CNN) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said Friday that history has shown that tax cuts produce deficits, not jobs, and questioned the patriotism of those at the receiving end of generous corporate tax breaks. "All this talk about tax cuts. The – in the Bush years the Republicans said that tax cuts will produce jobs. They didn't. They produced a deficit," Pelosi told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. When Crowley responded that two wars also contributed to the deficit, Pelosi...

I was listening to Mark Levin tonight; Levin pointed out that there were no flags behind the podium for the address to the nation. Usually when President gives an address to the nation, there are flags behind him.

Martin "Marty" Winters didn't serve in the military, but his dad, relatives and many friends did. His uncle was killed in Vietnam. So when Winters, 52, kept hearing about protesters heckling families at funerals for soldiers killed in action, he took it personally. In colorful terms, he indicated he would like to eject protesters from funerals by kicking their backsides. Instead, he decided to exercise his right to free speech with a message heard as far away as Afghanistan — an American flag the size of a small house waving from high above the towering trees off Lithia-Pinecrest Road. "I...