Free Republic

The assault on doctrine continues as Rome disintegrates. Vatican Radio: "It is not 'cold doctrine' that brings joy, but faith, and the hope of meeting Jesus. He who cannot rejoice is an unhappy believer: that’s what Pope Francis said in his homily at Thursday morning’s Mass in Santa Marta in the Vatican: Abraham’s joy upon hearing that as God promised, he may become a father inspired Pope Francis’ reflection Thursday. Commenting on the day’s readings, Pope Francis remarked that Abraham is old, as well as his wife Sara, but he believes and opens 'his heart to hope' and is 'full...

EAST VILLAGE (WABC) -- There was an explosion and collapse at an apartment building in Manhattan Thursday, and a seven-alarm fire raged in the aftermath. CLICK HERE to watch live coverage The blast happened on Second Avenue at the corner of East 7th Street in the East Village around 3:15 p.m....

A building has at least partially collapsed in Manhattan after witnesses reported an explosion: Reports are that people are trapped inside. We will have more details as they emerge.

Gov. Scott Walker has opened up a large lead in the battle for the 2016 Iowa GOP Caucuses, according to a new poll from Opinion Savvy. Walker holds a 15-point lead, more than doubling the support of his nearest competitor, Dr. Ben Carson: 2016 IOWA GOP CAUCUS POLL – Opinion Savvy (3/24/15) Scott Walker 29% Ben Carson 14% Jeb Bush 12% Mike Huckabee 11% Ted Cruz 7% Rand Paul 5% Marco Rubio 5% Chris Christie 5% Donald Trump 3% No opinion/Other candidate: 9.7% Walker now has a 7.6 point lead in our average of 2016 Iowa Caucus Polls.

Air Canada will now require at least two people in the cockpit at all times after revelations Thursday that a Germanwings co-pilot steered Flight 9525 into a mountainside while the captain stood helpless outside a locked cockpit doo

A few years ago I hosted gay activist attorney Andrea Ritchie on my radio program and asked her whether she believed the homosexual lobby could peacefully coexist with traditional Christian morality. After a very pregnant pause, she responded pointedly: "Sure, if Christians will give up their resistance to our cause." Today, in the midst of the inane opposition to the Indiana religious freedom bill, her alarming words prove frighteningly prophetic. Let's be clear what we are witnessing. Seeking to harness the power of the state to deny the rights of conscience to those who disagree with you – as the...

Ithaca College Student Government Association is creating an online system which it claims will give students the ability to “report microaggressions.” It believes the action will “make Ithaca College a safer, more inclusive and diverse community for all students.” The system will be online and will fill the needs of students, the Student Government Association believes. It will also be anonymous. However, Kyle James, vice president of communications and co-sponsor of the bill, states that if a student who has been subject to microaggression wants to sue the “aggressor,” they’ll have to “reveal their identity.” The system will also track...

Among the countless tragedies that go by in fleeting moments on the streets of the hometowns of the world, Hernan’s is one that stands out unforgettably. In our own villages, towns and cities we all have a Hernan, or someone like him, but in the rush of everyday life, keep passing them by. The blind man with the tin cup, the homeless huddled in raggedy blankets, over city grates, the lost, lonely and the forlorn are sadly only fleeting moments in the lives of the perpetually purposeful and busy. Someone else will try to find out if there is any...

With the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination officially under way, I thought it apt to share a set of questions on foreign policy — an area in which it is vital that each candidate distinguish himself given the size and scope of the threats we face. Below are 20 questions the next commander-in-chief will likely be grappling with, and should be able to answer cogently, consistently and comprehensively. The responses to these queries would serve to elucidate the first principles of each of the potential nominees, and create a clear contrast in terms of their goals, strategies and...

On Feb. 20, Kamal Abbas, Egyptian union leader and prominent figure in the Jan. 25 movement, sent a message to the “workers of Wisconsin”: “We stand with you as you stood with us.” Egyptian workers have long fought for fundamental rights denied by the U.S.-backed Hosni Mubarak regime. Kamal is right to invoke the solidarity that has long been the driving force of the labor movement worldwide, and to compare their struggles for labor rights and democracy. The two are closely intertwined. Labor movements have been in the forefront of protecting democracy and human rights and expanding their domains, a...

After months of legal wrangling, the votes are in. Secretaries at Grand Rapids Community College have chosen to decertify the Michigan Education Association local and form their own union. Out of 95 members, 40 voted in favor of the new union, the Alliance of Professional Support Staff, while 28 voted to stay with the MEA and 3 chose no union. “We are free,” said election organizer, Penni Weniger. This is the second time in 15 months that a group of employees at a state college or university has broken ranks with the MEA. The first defection involved over 300 technology...

GOOD ENEMIES PART I CAN BE READ HERE: GOOD ENEMIES PART II CAN BE READ HERE: DAILY UPDATES ON CURRENT ISLAMIC EVENTS CAN BE READ ON THE ENEMY IN THE GATES THREAD: CHAPTER 3 – THE PLAN The four stages of Islamic Conquest of a nation have been listed as the following: STAGE 1: INFILTRATION Appeal for humanitarian tolerance from the host societyMosques used to spread Islam and dislike of host country and cultureThreatened legal action for perceived discriminationOffers of “interfaith dialogue” to indoctrinate non-Muslims STAGE 2: CONSOLIDATION OF POWER Proselytizing increases; Establishment and Recruitment of Jihadi cellsEfforts to convert...

The co-pilot of the Germanwings passenger jet which crashed into the Alps at 400-miles-per-hour on Tuesday had to stop his pilot training in 2008 because he was depressed and suffering 'burnout'. Andreas Guenter Lubitz paused his training with German flag-carrier Lufthansa because he was under so much pressure.

....A month or so ago,there were legitimate questions as to whether Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was up to speed on foreign policy and could project the gravitas we expect of presidential nominees. In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, he seemed a far cry from the candidate at CPAC. His answer on the Taliban trade and news of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s desertion charge was solid...... Likewise,he explained why he prefers the term “safety” and gave an apt overview of what is happening in the Middle East:Safety is something you feel inside your chest, you feel in your heart. And I...

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz officially announced his White House bid in a tweet at 12:09 am EDT Monday morning, becoming the first candidate to formally enter the 2016 presidential campaign. "I'm running for president and I hope to earn your support!" Cruz tweeted with an embedded 30-second video. "It's a time for truth, a time to rise to the challenge, just as Americans have always done," Cruz says in the video. "I believe in America and her people, and I believe we can stand up and restore our promise. It's going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives...

There is a great deal of disturbing news from around the world on the War on Terror – not the least of which is the announcement of desertion charges filed against Bowe Bergdahl, our “prize” in last year’s Turd for Terrorists swap. And in the midst of all this we get this strange story: Big Guy met with his former Secretary of State on Monday afternoon behind closed doors to discuss "a range of topics." According to a Big White statement: "President Obama and Secretary Clinton enjoy catching-up in person when their schedules permit," White House press secretary Josh Earnest...

The news brings us a daily reminder of why the Obama administration is inept and lacking in basic common sense when it comes to its most important tasks: defeating the Islamic State and keeping Iran from getting nuclear weapons and dominating the region. The last, I think it is clear, is not even a problem to be addressed. The administration appears content to work in tandem with Iran in Iraq, let the Houthis depose the elected government in Yemen (where they have, according to news reports, looted intelligence files “exposing names of informants and plans for U.S.-backed counter-terrorism operations”), leave...

Opponents of closing the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System have pitched an argument that doing so might have a negative impact on the state’s credit rating. That may seem an unlikely argument given the system's chronic underfunding — and one state's experience suggests the opponents have it exactly backwards. Persistent underfunding has contributed to an unfunded liability of nearly $26 billion in the state's school pension system. This is up from $17.6 billion as recently as 2010, despite two rounds of partial reforms (in 2010 and 2012) that did not prevent new employees from being enrolled in the current...

The small coffee shop served as a very different backdrop than the hustle and bustle of an average day in the life of Kelli Ward. As she took her seat at a corner table in the room to the sound of an occasional espresso order being called out by the young baristas behind the counter, she seemed very calm, but excited at the same time. After all, a United States Senate race is definitely something to be excited about. “I actually own one of those fancy espresso machines,” she said before explaining how she had never used it given her...

A recent article by a person on a web site misnamed "PolitiFact Florida" did some interesting checking of a claim in the current debate about allowing people with concealed carry permits to carry on Florida campuses, as they do in most other places in Florida.  As part of the testimony for the bill, Florida Students for Concealed Carry made the following claim: "According to the state of Florida, you are almost twice as likely to be attacked by an alligator than by someone who happens to carry a conceal-and-carry permit." PolitiFact Florida's Amy Sherman decided to check out the...