Free Republic

I consider my children to be extraordinarily lucky to be born and live in the United States. When I moved here from France in 1999, I believed that, while far from perfect, America still very much embraced the values held by its founders, especially a respect for pluralism and viewpoint diversity In fact, I've long believed that the First Amendment's protections for freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition are indispensable ingredients for the success of a country with hundreds of millions of diverse people whose ancestors arrived here from all over the world. By the time I moved...

"The Abedin emails include a mid-August 2009, email exchange in which Band urges Abedin to follow up on a request from Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy to set up a meeting with then-Ambassador to Panama Barbara Stephenson on behalf of lobbyist Amb. Otto Reich, President Reagan’s ambassador to Venezuela who maintained high-level government positions during the tenure of both President George H.W. Bush and President George Bush. In early September, Ruddy then was contacted by State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta S. Jacobson, at the behest of Band and Abedin, in reference to Ruddy’s...

The ranks of top US diplomats are being depleted at a “dizzying” speed, the head of America’s diplomatic trade union has warned. Since January, the number of “two-star” minister counselors has dropped by 42% and “three-star” career ministers by 14%, according to Barbara Stephenson, president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and former ambassador to Panama. At the highest ranks of the State Department, the number of career ambassadors has dropped from five to two, after the retirement of three top diplomats. “These numbers are hard to square with the stated agenda of making State and the Foreign Service...

Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney StrongerAmerica.com Dear Friend, We stand, right now, at a critical moment in the life of our nation. The policies of the last six years have left America diminished and weakened. Our enemies no longer fear us. Our allies no longer trust us. Empty threats, meaningless redlines, leading from behind, retreat, and "engagement" with rogue regimes have put America on a path of decline. Threats to America's security are on the rise. Al Qaeda is resurgent, establishing new safehavens across the Middle East, including in Iraq, where President Obama withdrew all American forces with no stay...