Free Republic

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."(French proverb) While scanning YouTube videos, I came across an appearance by Ronald Reagan on "The Tonight Show," hosted by Johnny Carson. The year was 1975 and Reagan was "between jobs," having left office as governor of California, where he served for eight years, but not yet president. He would challenge Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in 1976, barely losing at the nominating convention, but setting himself up for what would be a successful run in 1980. What fascinates about Reagan's appearance with Carson is how little has changed in...

In 1984 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month. He also established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in July. In honor of this awesome holiday I think we should eat ice cream all day long. Here’s a suggested menu. Breakfast: waffles (with coffee ice cream and chocolate syrup)Lunch: ice cream paniniMid-afternoon snack: ice cream coneLate afternoon pick-me-up: Iced mocha (made with ice cream of course)Dinner: Ice cream casserole:Dessert: Banana splitKeep it small: you don’t want to overindulgeNightcap: your choice – a Hummer (invented in Detroit) Kahlua, rum, ice cream, a blender – what could...

Ronald Reagan speaks out on Socialized Medicine, circa 1961. Audio file.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYrlDlrLDSQ&feature=youtu.be  

To believe, in the 1980s, that Ronald Reagan was going to blow up the world may have been merely peculiar. To believe so today is a symptom of raging Reagan Derangement Syndrome. And yet here we are, with The Reagan Show, a new documentary rehashing the paranoid style of Reaganography, set for limited theatrical release on June 30 and video-on-demand release shortly thereafter. The continuing popularity of President Reagan is a source of profound irritation and unease to liberals. To assuage their pain, they have gone back to their initial rationalization for how Reagan became so beloved: He cheated. Though...

BERLIN -- Thirty years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan stood at a lectern in what was then West Berlin, framed by the Brandenburg Gate behind him. Through a thick sheet of bulletproof glass, he gazed at the ugly concrete symbol of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and uttered the most famous words of his presidency to Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet empire. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," he said. This was no mere rhetorical flourish. He was passionately and morally offended by the "evil empire." The Wall Museum in Berlin celebrates the occasion with a...

Hodgkinson had a history of violence that did not rise to the level to prohibit him from legally owning a firearm. He was the foster father of at least two girls. The first, Wanda Ashley Stock, 17, committed suicide in 1996 by pouring gasoline on herself and setting herself on fire after a few months of living with the Hodgkinsons, the Belleville News-Democrat reports. The Hodgkinsons gave an interview to the paper after her suicide, calling her a “very practical, level-headed girl.”

A champion of life—that title expertly captures the work and legacy of Pope John Paul II. More than a decade after his death, the author of Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) remains one of the greatest heroes of the pro-life movement, respected by people of all faiths and all walks of life.The story of Pope John Paul II’s life is filled with suspense, heroism, and intrigue. What is particularly striking is the number of times during the course of his long life, he escaped death. His life hung in the balance when he was hit by a vehicle in...

A marble nine-foot monument of President Ronald Reagan is set to be unveiled May 10 in Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia. The monument, which transpired with key input and advice from Young America’s Foundation and the Reagan Ranch, was erected in order to honor President Reagan’s critical contribution to the country’s liberation from communism. The ceremony honoring Ronald Reagan will take place at the entrance to Sofia’s famed South Park, one of the largest green spaces in the city. -snip “Ronald Reagan was not only committed to ensuring freedom in the US, but also to advancing freedom across the globe....

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), departed Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) May 7. Ronald Reagan's crew shifted colors at 11:54 a.m. and made way to conduct sea trials in the final phase of the ship's selective restricted availability (SRA) maintenance period, which began January 10. "I am extremely proud of the Reagan crew's accomplishments up to this point of our SRA period," said Capt. Buzz Donnelly, commanding officer. "We are all looking forward to completing sea trials and returning to operations in the 7th Fleet." During sea trials, Ronald Reagan's...

It's something most conservatives a year ago would not have imagined: the opening act of Donald Trump’s agenda in the White House contains a real whiff of Ronald Reagan. To be sure, there's plenty the Reaganites won't like -- talk of trillion-dollar federal building campaigns, taxing business at the border, etc. -- but there's plenty to applaud as well. He’s proposing dramatic across-the-board tax cuts. That’s Reaganesque. He’s reasserting American strength and resolve in response to the dictators who rattle sabers at America. That’s Reaganesque. He’s appointing judges and Supreme Court justices that follow the Constitution instead of acting like...

Three US Aircraft Carriers Directed Toward South Korean Shores Amid mounting tensions in the East Asia, the Pentagon has directed three US aircraft carriers toward the Korean Peninsula, South Korean media reported quoting governmental sources. TOKYO (Sputnik) — Three US aircraft carriers, USS Carl Vinson, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz, will enter the Sea of Japan next week, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a South Korean government source. Washington and Seoul are discussing joint drills, which will include the three aircraft carriers, with USS Carl Vinson expected to enter the Sea of Japan by April 25 and other ships...

The taxpayer – that’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t have to take a civil-service exam. Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. Millions of individuals making their own decisions in the marketplace will always allocate resources better than any centralized government planning process. How do you tell a communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin....

President Trump has succeeded in picking the most conservative Cabinet of the modern era, and possibly ever, even besting the team put together by former President Reagan, according to a scorecard from the American Conservative Union, host of the annual CPAC convention. ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp told Secrets that Trump's team, made up in part with House and Senate lawmakers graded by the group over the years, has a 91.52 percent conservative rating, significantly surpassing Reagan's by 28 points.

Editor’s Note: This report originally appeared at the American Spectator. I've been getting e-mails from bewildered colleagues asking about a survey of presidential scholars that determined that Barack Obama is the 12th best president in the history of the United States, putting him near the top quartile of our presidents. How can this be? I, too, was mystified, especially given that I participated in the survey. The survey was conducted by the impeccably fair C-SPAN. Few sources do their job like C-SPAN does. If you want truly unfiltered news, C-SPAN is unrivaled for its ability to simply place a camera...

Ronald Reagan was born FEBRUARY 6, 1911. A graduate of Eureka College, IL, 1932, he worked as a life guard and then announced for radio stations in Iowa. He became a sports announcer for Chicago Cubs baseball games and traveled with the team. While with the Cubs in California, Ronald Reagan auditioned with Warner Brothers, landing a contract doing "B films." He was a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. During his career as an actor Ronald Reagan appeared in over 50 films, including Dark Victory; Knute Rockne, All American; This is the Army and...

Happy Birthday Mr. President. Ronald Reagan was born 106 years ago today in Tampico, IL.

Stories surfaced this year to the effect that federal employees would quit if Donald Trump were elected. Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen. "Most of what we think of as federal law is written by federal agencies," Benjamin Ginsberg, a professor at Johns Hopkins pointed out recently at the Cato Institute. "In the most recent year available, Congress passed 218 pieces of legislation, not all of them substantive, while federal agencies added 150,000 rules, many of them important, for example, Taft-Hartley [right-to-work] regulations." "So the Department of Labor is writing new law nominally based on some ancient statute." The last...

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama is about to face a wave of intense scrutiny as he seeks confirmation to become attorney general and head the Justice Department in President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming administration. Trump said Friday that it was an "honor to nominate" a "world-class legal mind" to the position. Sessions said, should he be confirmed, that he will give "all my strength to advance" its "highest ideals" and will be dedicated to "fairness and impartiality." But Sessions is likely to face heavy examination over his overall record, as well as decades-old allegations of racism that are now certain to...

It has been 30 years since the tax code was last reformed. By signing the Tax Reform Act of 1986, President Ronald Reagan reduced income tax rates for every American family and business, simplified the code, and encouraged strong economic growth.Yet today, the code is far more complex than it has ever been, growth remains stagnant, and businesses are unable to compete against foreign competitors. Regardless of who occupies the White House next year, tax reform must be on the agenda.Tax reform should not be viewed as a partisan issue. Both the right and the left agreed in 1986...

The founder of Westboro Baptist Church, Fred Phelps, notorious for leading hateful protests against gay rights, is actually a Democrat with long history of endorsing Democratic candidates. On Tuesday, Politico provided some background on Phelps' political history, most of which saw him endorsing Democrat candidates and running for office a number of times as a Democrat. In the 1990's, Phelps ran in three Kansas Democratic primaries for Governor in 1990, 1994, and 1998, receiving only 15% of the vote. He also ran for Senator in 1992, receiving 31% of the vote, and for mayor of Topeka in 1993 and 1997....