Free Republic

As a US Government contractor and retired US Army Soldier with 23 years of service I’m allowed an account on the US Army’s social portal, AKO, Army Knowledge Online. AKO is an employee portal for all Soldiers and Army Civilians to collaborate, exchange, and find information about their unit, the Army and the US Government. Recently I attempted to load a picture on my AKO profile page. The picture shows a close up of me shooting an M1 Garand. Shortly after the upload AKO informed me via email that Response Via Email: “(Janet C.) - 11/02/2016 07:53 AM Your recently...

The Battle of Athens TN, August 1-2, 1946 On 1-2 August 1946, some Americans, brutalized by their county government, used armed force to overturn it. These Americans wanted honest, open elections. For years they had asked for state or Federal election monitors to prevent vote fraud -- forged ballots, secret ballot counts, and intimidation by armed sheriff's deputies -- by the local political boss. They got no help. These Americans' absolute refusal to knuckle-under had been hardened by service in World War II. Having fought to free other countries from murderous regimes, they rejected vicious abuse by their county government....

lead this series of commentaries on the nine initiatives to be decided. It’s A Terrible Idea Last year, when Amendment 69 was validated for the ballot, I heard anecdotal stories about how the proponents gathered signatures by asking people if they wanted to opt-out of Obamacare. Because Obamacare is loathed by all except progressive partisans, that seemed like an attractive alternative. Sadly, this was a misdirection because while Amendment 69 would be made possible through an Affordable Care Act waiver, it is opting out of a bad system in favor of a worse system. If passed, Amendment 69 would be...

The Attack On The Second Amendment Is Not Finished by Tyler Durden Aug 3, 2016 8:40 PM 0 SHARES Submitted by Jeremiah Johnson (nom de plume of retired Green Beret of the US Army Special Forces (Airborne)) via SHTFPlan.com,The Statist-Marxists (self-termed “Progressive Democrats”) are by no means finished hacking away at the branch of the Tree of Liberty bearing the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  The right of a free citizenry to keep and bear arms is a right the Marxist-Statists absolutely cannot tolerate.  We have seen it all throughout history: Hitler’s Germany, the Soviet Union, Cambodia…all of the...

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday tried to reassure skeptical gun owners that she’s not interested in rolling back Second Amendment rights or hatching a scheme to take Americans’ firearms. Speaking just outside Denver, Colorado, Mrs. Clinton again said she’ll make gun control legislation a top priority of her administration, vowing to fight the “gun lobby” and enact stricter rules, such as expanded background checks. But in fighting for votes across rural America, where gun rights remain a key issue, the former first lady also must tread carefully. The National Rifle Association already has endorsed her opponent, Republican Donald Trump, and many...

The amendment to unbind delegates and allow them to vote "their conscience" has been soundly defeated in the RNC Rules Committee

Today President Obama signed the PROMESA (Puerto Rico Bailout) bill created by representative Paul Ryan, and with it the immediate suspension of the Fifth Amendment which was supported by a Senate vote yesterday. The Fifth Amendment protects U.S. Citizens from federal seizure of property without compensation. It applies in this instance to Puerto Rico via the general obligation bonds (property) purchased by municipal bond holders (investing citizens), which were supposed to be repaid, and which congress has now determined can be frozen. In addition, PROMESA suspends legal redress, by blocking bond holders (property owners) from suing the debtor (PR) to...

After Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas failed Wednesday in a bid to restrict President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, the White House decided to give the lawmaker a kick in the pants for good measure. Referring to Mr. Cotton’s amendment to stop the U.S. from purchasing heavy water used by Iran in nuclear production, White House press secretary said, “Senator Cotton is certainly no expert when it comes to heavy water. I’m confident that he couldn’t differentiate heavy water from sparkling water.” He said Mr. Cotton is focused “on undermining the effective implementation of this agreement that prevents Iran...

Friends, while I'm not going to discuss the particulars of my sister's divorce or what I was told about how she was cheated on, battered, and abused during her marriage. My concern is for her safety these days. This is because her soon-to-be-former-husband has made a number of threats against her life. And friends, these are not "alleged" threats simply because I've seen them and verified them to be real.  Fearing for her safety and security even more so in recent months, my sister has gone to the El Dorado County Court to request and obtain a Restraining Order...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After some debate Saturday afternoon, the Senate joined the House in approving a resolution that would put West Virginia on the list of states supporting an Article V Convention for consideration of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Though shorter than the House’s debate, similar arguments were made before a 17-16, party-line vote in favor of the measure. The Senate originally proposed it’s own Article V Convention resolution, S.C.R. 10, that also included limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government and limiting the terms of office for its officials and for members of...

On Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court rejected the US Supreme Court's marriage opinion and basically told them to take a hike in favor of following the Alabama Constitution and Alabama law. On March 4, 2016, the Alabama Supreme Court ordered that all probate judges cease and desist in issuing marriage licenses to sodomies. The court issued its 170-page ruling in favor of Petition for Mandamus by Liberty Counsel. Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel said, "The ruling last year by the Alabama Supreme Court was historic, and is one of the most researched and well-reasoned opinions on marriage...

1/31 - Once again U.S. Senator John McCain [R-AZ] has his crosshairs set on the Jones Act with an amendment he intends to attach to a proposed energy bill that would eliminate the U.S. build requirement for tankers involved in U.S. coastwise trade. McCain hopes to attach the amendment to bill S. 2012, also known as the Energy Modernization Act of 2015, which seeks to provide for the modernization of the energy policy of the United States, and for other purposes. The submitted amendment from McCain would change section 12112 of title 46 of the United States Code (46 U.S.C....

HIPAA Privacy Rule Modified for Gun Background Checks http://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/hipaa-privacy-rule-modified-for-gun-background-checks-a-8780 HIPAA Privacy Rule Modified for Gun Background Checks But Most Providers Won't Be Affected by the Change Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) • January 5, 2016  Jocelyn Samuels, Director of OCR A modification to the HIPAA Privacy Rule designed to help identify those who are prohibited, for specific mental health reasons, from having a firearm will have little impact on most healthcare providers because it's so narrow in scope. See Also: Exploring the Security Requirements for Virtual Machines The change, which is slated to take effect next month, permits only a small...

The Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate after a series of votes in June 2013. Democrats, who controlled the Senate at the time, unanimously supported the bill, while most Republicans opposed it. The four Republicans on the gang - Marco Rubio, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Jeff Flake - of course voted for it, and also agreed with Democrats on a plan to kill almost all GOP amendments.Then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid allowed just a handful of amendments to reach the Senate floor. One, from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, would have prohibited the legalization of illegal...

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz speaks with reporters before a rally Saturday in Daphne, Alabama. The Texas senator visited the town as part of a weeklong tour of nine mostly southern states. (Photo by Patrick Svitek) DAPHNE, Ala. — Ted Cruz, locked in a heated battle with Marco Rubio over their immigration records, received an assist Saturday afternoon from one of the most hardline opponents of illegal immigration in the U.S. Senate. Introducing Cruz at a rally in the Mobile area, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama offered an extended defense of the Texas senator's push to undermine support for...

You folks know what to do! Go vote

Congressional Democrats are trying to build support for an effort to bar gun purchases by terror suspects, hoping to take advantage of the same public anxieties about security that gave Republicans a ringing House victory. The Democratic push seems likely to fall victim to opposition from the National Rifle Association and congressional gun-rights backers, chiefly Republicans, who have smothered firearms curbs for years. If the Republicans who control Congress block votes on the proposal, Democrats hope to profit politically by winning sympathy from angry voters. ...

BOSTON (CBS) - President Alena Mulhern has a nice ring to it. But the little girl from Kingston can't actually be elected to our nation's highest office. Alena was adopted from China. So since she wasn't a US citizen from birth, the Constitution forbids her from becoming President. She doesn't accept that and Wednesday she took her campaign for change to the State House. "We should all have the opportunity to run for president," 10 year old Alena Mulhern says as she testifies before a State House committee. She's not going to let anyone tell her the top job is...

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — An Amish resident of central Pennsylvania is challenging the photo identification requirement to purchase a firearm, saying his religious beliefs prevent him from being photographed. Andrew Hertzler argues in a suit filed Friday in U.S. Middle District Court that the requirement violates his religious freedom and his constitutional right to possess a firearm. Hertzler said his beliefs as a member of an Amish community in Lancaster County bar photographs being taken of him, but he was prohibited from buying a gun in June for self-defense purposes.

Stabbings attacks against Jews continue in and around Israel: A series of stabbing attacks have resulted in the deaths of three alleged Palestinian attackers and resulted in several more Israelis and Palestinians being injured as violence intensifies in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Writing on Twitter, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that four apparent stabbing incidents took place in Jerusalem on Monday. The spokesman said a Palestinian assailant was shot dead on Monday night after stabbing an Israeli soldier on a bus entering Jerusalem. The soldier was lightly injured. Here’s how Slate reported it:There have been at least...