Free Republic

Propaganda pushed by the Black Lives Matter organization and critical race theory is making its way into magazines meant for middle schoolers. A “black lives matter” article that recently appeared in a children’s magazine popular in elementary schools, Junior Scholastic, is inflammatory, racist, and wholly unfit for students of any age. Of course, there’s an enormous gulf between Black Lives Matter the organization, and “black lives matter” the concept and statement. Every decent human agrees with the latter. The former, however, is an explicitly neo-Marxist, racist, violent organization that, in the words of its own leaders, seeks to destroy American...

The intersection in south Minneapolis where George Floyd died in police custody on May 25 has become a quasi-religious shrine. It is a shrine not just to Floyd, who is honored here as if he were a saint or a martyr, but to the political power of the Black Lives Matter movement and the ascendency of the radical left in this city. The intersection and the neighborhood around it have been “occupied” for months now. To get to the memorial—or “George Square,” as it’s now called—you must approach on foot. For a block in every direction, the streets are closed...

To reinforce the principles that strengthen our military, the Trump administration should vigorously enforce prohibitions on critical race theory programs. Imagine this: Army base streets or Navy ship decks are painted with tributes to Black Lives Matter, a movement whose lead organization self-identifies as Marxist. At the Army-Navy game, players take a knee instead of saluting the flag. Military officers are denied promotions if they do not fit percentage-based sex and race quotas. And, to meet “New Woke World” expectations, some promotable officers organize book clubs for subordinates to study best-sellers like “White Fragility.”Oh, wait — Navy Captain Hallock Mohler,...

As clashes between protesters and counter-protesters turn increasingly violent, the media wants you to think it’s the fault of 'right-wing extremists.' It’s not. In the wake of recent deadly clashes between Black Lives Matter activists and counter-protesters in Portland and Kenosha, Wis., the media is rolling out a new narrative: that right-wing extremists have introduced firearms to what have been, until now, “largely peaceful protests,” and BLM demonstrators are now trying to figure out how to keep themselves safe.Consider an appallingly dishonest New York Times headline on Tuesday that , “As Guns Get Drawn at Protest Sites, Demonstrators Fear a...

Upon hearing the news Goodyear deems "Blue Lives Matter" messaging unacceptable, police officers have this to say: "Stop buying Goodyear tires." Goodyear Tires has long been held up as the ideal for police tires, which is why many were shocked when a photo allegedly from Goodyear’s sensitivity training was posted online. The leaked photo said “Black Lives Matter” attire was permitted, but “Blue Lives Matter” would be met with zero tolerance.While Goodyear denied that the photo came from their corporate office, they admitted that their policy bans any political paraphernalia “that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity...

Many recently celebrated Bastille Day, the day French radical revolutionaries stormed a prison, released its prisoners, and brutally murdered the warden. That fateful day, now more than 200 years ago, set in motion a revolution that led to bloodshed and a devastating loss of liberty in France. It also set the precedent for many future revolutions that took an unbelievable toll on human life.Contemporary British politician Edmund Burke lamented that French Revolutionaries could have repaired the walls of their government and society instead of tearing them down. In an attempt to found an egalitarian utopia, the French Revolutionaries tore...

Black Lives Matter activists cite Douglass’s 1852 speech ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’ as proof America is evil. They utterly miss his point. Last week on CNN, as contributor Angela Rye accused White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnaney and President Trump of failing to understand the history of black America, she referred to the legendary Frederick Douglass. “Frederick Douglass said about Independence Day in this country, what to the slave is the Fourth of July?” she said. “And I would invite them to even start there, as a reading principle, to see how different we see...

We must re-acknowledge and respect the role of parents and the wisdom of elders so that we can affect authentic, lasting, positive change in our society.> The 1950s brought programming to America’s living rooms that revered parents, especially fathers, in TV shows like “Father Knows Best,” “Make Room for Daddy,” and “Ozzie and Harriet.” The same decade simultaneously engineered the American teenager, ushered in the exaltation of “youth culture” in music and film, and eroded the reverence of parents and elders. Over the last 70 years, the glorification of youth-centric culture has exacerbated the degradation of parental honor. Hollywood sought...

The Black Lives Matter movement is not a majority. It’s radical agenda can be resisted and defeated. But not if ordinary Americans stay silent. The daily spectacle of angry mobs pulling down statues, taunting police, attacking passersby, and taking over entire city blocks makes it seem like Black Lives Matter is a mass movement, that pretty much everyone except knuckle-dragging Trump supporters is on board with its radical agenda, and that the new national consensus is that you’re either anti-racist or racist.Under these conditions, many ordinary Americans feel disoriented and discouraged. Confusion abounds. When did it become racist to like...

Christianity steeped in neighborly love ended slavery and defeated Jim Crow. The gospel, not the BLM movement, already has what we need to heal the nation. As churches across America restart in-person services, Christians and their pastors are feeling the heat. The “heat,” however, is not from the lack of air conditioning in the sanctuary as things get hot and humid — it’s the pressure to “say something” in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.Yet just as Christians shouldn’t feel obligated to issue “official church statements” every time sin is committed (there would be little time for anything else),...

A group of wealthy celebrities requesting the abolition of something they donÂ’t even need is disingenuous at best, callous at worst. The Black Lives Matter movement seeks to counter the systemic racism they believe is foundational in American culture with a systemic solution: defunding the police. The calls to defund the police have reached the ears of every elected official, from local levels up to the federal executive. Now, the cries from the street are being echoed by celebrities.A group of some of the most notable black artists in America have penned a letter to studios and Hollywood executives demanding...

If BLM leaders care about black lives, they ought to focus on what can improve the quality of life for black Americans — starting with stronger families. >Positing that “Black Lives Matter” is such an obvious fact that repeating it sounds banal. Only an outright racist would question this premise. Therefore, the frequent “All Lives Matter” retort of critics often inflames the sensibilities of activists, with many in the BLM movement find this assertion objectionable on the basis that it misinterprets their message. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” is not a declaration that other lives are unimportant, activists say, but...

By treating Black Lives Matters protests differently than other large gatherings, public officials and health experts have exposed themselves as hypocrites. We’re told a second wave of coronavirus infections is coming. As businesses open back up and states relax lockdown orders, the number of new cases is ticking up in a handful of states. We’ve heard warnings in recent days from the Centers for Disease Control and various public health experts and elected officials that a new series of lockdowns might be necessary.What these experts and officials don’t seem to realize is that Americans will never comply with their lockdown...

Americans must resist the push to conflate dissimilar events in order to promote the radical political aims of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the aftermath of George FloydÂ’s death, the subject of racism and police brutality lept to the forefront of our political discourse. While both are important matters to explore and discuss, the fact is that such debate is not being held in an honest fashion. Instead, a chosen narrative has become more important than fact. Worse, there is an intentional effort to conflate even the most dissimilar events in order to promote the political aims of the...

BLM seeks to dismantle the very institution that research consistently shows is most likely to aid and empower black Americans: the natural family. Black Lives Matter — the organization, not the irrefutably true statement — has taken center stage in the necessary debate on race today, overshadowing others like the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.All know that BLM’s leadership is strongly calling for the defunding and possible abolishment of local police departments. This proposal has been resisted or dodged by leading Democrats for various reasons. But what about BLM’s view of the family as a resource for black...

They Hate America The mobs defacing and pulling down monuments across America have no limiting principle because their target is America itself. Angry mobs are tearing down and defacing monuments across America. They make no distinction between Confederate and Union, abolitionist and pro-slavery, 15th-century figures and 20th. They don’t care when a monument was erected, who built it, or why. They have not come to debate or persuade their fellow citizens to relocate these statues to museums or private property. They believe the debate is over and that they have won.The Confederacy Isn’t the Target Their target is not the...

Black Lives Matter isn’t interested in fighting actual racism. But it is interested in whether you support its agenda—and getting you fired if you don’t. There will be no opting out of the Black Lives Matter movement. You’re either for BLM or against it—and if you’re against it, you’re a racist. You will either support BLM publicly and enthusiastically, or you will be harassed, shunned, and shamed out of mainstream America. If you dare to speak a word against BLM, you will be targeted, mobbed, and probably fired.That’s the message coming through loud and clear, not just from protesters but...

One of the most visible and insistent demands of the Black Lives Matter movement is the abolition or disbandment of the police—or at the very least defunding them, which taken to the extreme would amount to the same thing. “Abolish the police” has become a rallying cry among protesters and a litmus test for elected officials seeking to ally with them.What comes after the police have been abolished remains unclear. Protesters and politicians alike are hazy on details, preferring instead to talk about “reimagining public safety” and throwing around vague terms like “community policing.”Of course, in concrete terms what...

The leftÂ’s multi-decade project to teach everyone that America is irredeemably racist has led to the emergence of a new regime in American life. Amid the scenes circulating on social media this week of protesters and rioters and burned out storefronts and police barricades, two of them stand out as harbingers of what all of this means for the future of mainstream American society.The first was a video clip of a small group of white people kneeling down before a group of black people. A white man at the head of the kneeling group was praying, his voice shaking with...

The riots in the wake of George Floyd’s killing have been decried by some black leaders, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to the media.L. Joy Williams, president of the Brooklyn NAACP, tweeted Saturday, “I know that our anger and frustration is real. I feel it myself and I know it exists in my community and in Black people across this country. But my gut is telling me that something nefarious is going on here.”Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP legal defense fund also tweeted: “Seeing some troubling clips. I hope that someone is putting together the clips of...