Free Republic

Things NOT to Learn in School by R.J. Riggins modifications made by H. Geller] Do not -- repeat -- do not learn these lessons. If we're teaching you these things, we're sorry. If you've learned any of these already, forget them fast, before you get out of school! 1. YOU ONLY NEED TO GET A 70 70% is NOT OK. 70% stinks. Name one occupation in which it is OK to be right only 70% of the time. What job lets you be totally wrong three times out of every ten -- and keep your job more than a week...

Plato worried that the new media called “writing” would ruin our memories – and he was right. “If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks.” Martin Heidegger and other philosophers worried that the typewriter would make our thinking more mechanical. They were right, too.Each new medium has diminished man a little – radio made us expect to be entertained all the time; television hurt our ability to concentrate...

Is there anyone on the planet who wouldn’t pay to avoid travelling with other people’s children? A survey has found that almost 70 per cent of travellers think planes should have child-free zones. Half of those would pay up to £63 extra to fly without children, especially on long-haul flights. I can see what they mean. Flying back from Italy recently, I had my back so thoroughly bruised by a small, restless boy that if King Herod were standing in the European elections, I’d almost be tempted. Under normal circumstances, I like children – an eccentricity which has led to...

Racism is ugly, no matter who is spewing it. But there does seem to be a double standard when it comes to public outrage on the subject. It was less than a week after LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling's racist comments to his girlfriend in a private conversation became public that he was banned for life from NBA games and venues, fined $2.5 million, and on the verge of being forced to sell his team. But when a Democratic congressman engages in racist, public name-calling of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the reaction is muted at best. First, let's be...

A recent article in “World” Magazine titled “Still-silent shepherds” summarized the top reasons evangelical pastors give for not preaching against abortion. Among them is that “preaching on the issue might politically stigmatize the pastor or politicize the pulpit, scaring seekers off.” Aside from the fact that such reasoning is purely pragmatic—concerned with results (what works) rather than principle (what's right)—it is also severely problematic in three of its underlying assumptions: One, that pulpits should avoid moral issues with controversial political overtones; Two, that silence is justified on issues that may “scare seekers off”; Three, that ignoring issues like abortion won't...

The times they are a-changing in ways even Bob Dylan didn't foresee. I have an early childhood memory riding my bike and coming across a discarded booklet on proper social etiquette. It had the perfunctory rules. Gentlemen always open doors for ladies. Stand when a lady comes in the room. And so on. But the one I remember vividly is this: A lady always extends her hand first in greeting. Why? Fifty years ago I could understand the concept, but even then, I thought it was a bit much. Today that rule's been abandoned. Who decides these things anyway? Miss...

Check(list) your privilege.

Did anyone see the latest episode of Rake where the lead character, a lawyer, made a case for the acceptance of beastiality, and won, clearing his client of wrong doing?

The Expert...Someone sent me this and I thought it was well worth sharing. Enjoy!

Nostalgia, The Good Old Days – Who Needs Them? America needs a visionary for the future! During the past, and recent presidential election we hear the all too familiar suggestion of “returning to the good old days.” Every candidate talk about returning America to a sense of values. I don’t know about you but each time I hear, or heard that suggestion I get a little queasy in the stomach accompanied by a little bewilderment, confusion, and absolute disgust! Whenever I hear the suggestion I often wonder exactly what period in time they want to take us back to! Could...

"We are the peoples of Ukraine and we are here to make the world better. We can NOT do that all alone: join us and together we'll get it sooner. 

THE EVOLUTION OF PARENTING.. The 40’s.. THE EYES.. If an adult looked at you, you froze.. The 50’s.. THE SILENT TREATMENT.. If they stopped talking, you stopped asking, or else.. The 60’s.. THE COMMAND.. Sit down and Shut up, and that was the last straw.. The 70’s.. THE DISCUSSION.. Let’s talk about this. The compromise.. The 80’s.. THE PAY-OFF.. If you stop, I’ll buy you.. The 90’s.. THE THREATS.. You told the school councilor WHAT? 2000’s.. ..  THE END.. You could do time Behind Bars for placing your kid in TIME OUT! YIKESDoes anyone have the number to a Bail...

An independent commission led by a former U.S. surgeon general has concluded there “is no compelling medical reason” for the U.S. armed forces to prohibit transgender Americans from serving and that President Barack Obama could lift the decades-old ban without approval from Congress, according to a report being released Thursday. The report said Department of Defense regulations designed to keep transgender people from joining or remaining in the military on the grounds of psychological and physical unfitness are based on outdated beliefs that require thousands of current service members either to leave the service or to forego the medical procedures...

Straight from the mouth of an Obama believer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRRwZDSmTVI#t=12

The question is not, “Is America falling?” but, rather, “Why is America falling?” I’m currently writing from CPAC 2014, the nation’s largest gathering of conservative political junkies. The event is being held at the beautiful Gaylord National hotel, adjacent to the scenic shoreline of the historic Potomac River. We’re just a few short miles from Washington, D.C., which, at least for now, remains the modern-day equivalent of the Roman Empire. I say “at least for now” because America finds itself skipping along the primrose path to Rome’s ill-fated finale. I needn’t trouble you with evidence to that effect as this...

Our Lord has a special place for His babies 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”~~~ Mark 9 Today’s Society faces many challenging issues such as abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and gay marriage, and people are either interested in the subject or could care less. This booklet is directed at those who care less. Care less people usually are in that...

There are a lot of arguments about whether communism, socialism, and liberalism are the same thing. What shouldn't be arguable is that they're all closely related branches of the same tree. If you don't want to live in a house made out of Aleppo Pine, you probably won't like a Coulter Pine or Eastern White Pine house either. However, since socialism has failed so often, socialists of every stripe bend over backwards to disassociate themselves from the many other disasters created by their ideology. Still, a pine by any other name is still a pine. Socialism is particularly dangerous because...

The cultural chasm between religious individuals and American society is swelling. On a personal level, I feel distant from the current trends in politics, television, movies, and music. It’s becoming harder for individuals with Catholic sensibilities, for instance, to tune into the Grammys or scan across Yahoo’s headlines without feeling lost. Amidst the vast difference between my own beliefs and the accepted principles of secular culture, I have been contemplating how we can dialogue with people on the other side. How do we avoid hiding in our own little clique of likeminded individuals? How do we cut through all the...

As I have confessed in the past, in my early years I found myself active in the Democratic Party and the general liberal methodology. I had no understanding of the concept of the false left/right paradigm. I had no inkling of the dangers of globalism and central banking. I had no concept of decentralization or non-participation. I had never even heard of libertarianism. I knew only that George W. Bush was a criminal (and I was right), but the problem went far deeper than the GOP. I was astoundingly ignorant of the bigger picture. However, what I did have going...

Tap water that looks like urine? Soiled toilet paper that you can’t flush? Unfinished hotel rooms? Pillows you have to surrender to the athletes? The most expensive Olympic Winter Games in world history is looking to be waste gone wild in an obscene expenditure of an estimated $51 BILLION, money that could be better spent helping the world’s poor! “Critics claim that the huge cost of the Games and alleged corruption are evidence of endemic problems,” says the UK GUARDIAN newspaper that points an accusatory finger at Sochi. (1) The huge outlay for the “RusSki Gorki Jumping Centre, $265 million,...