Free Republic

Obama has evidenced a preference for authoritarian regimes. His preference is why he did not force concessions from Cuba, concessions that would have fostered democratic reforms and given hope to those languishing in Castro’s Stygian domains. He appears to be more interested in sanctioning and weakening Israel, our sole democratic ally in the Middle East, than he is in enforcing the current embargo against Cuba. He seems to be more interested in sitting down at the bargaining table with Iran than he is in strengthening relations with America’s Western allies. The president’s actions have enormous implications.

Only eight days prior to the horrendous slaughter of children and school staff in Pakistan, Barack Obama released Pakistani Taliban leader, the second in command of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This is the exact group claiming responsibility for today’s massacre in Peshawar, leaving 141 dead.

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, says whites do not understand the protests about the deaths of young black men. CNN's Anderson Cooper cited polls that reveal white people do not view the issue the same way as black people. "It's not happening to them, so they don't quite get it," Fulton told Cooper in an interview that aired Friday on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." "They don't quite understand. They think that it's a small group of African-Americans that's complaining: 'Oh, what are they complaining about now?'" Cooper asked: "You hear that from people?" "Oh yeah," Fulton said. "The...

In comparison to the Michael Brown shooting, the death of Eric Garner—and the similar decision not to indict the cop who killed him—has drawn outrage from across the political spectrum. Many conservatives, including Breitbart's John Nolte, The Federalist's Sean Davis, and The Daily Caller's Matt Lewis, agreed with anti-police-brutality libertarians and liberals that Garner's killer should have faced charges. The consensus is that the video evidence definitively established wrongdoing on the part of the officer (unlike the Brown case, which relied on conflicting eyewitness testimony). But because that's no fun, right and left had to find some way to tear...

The federal courts would never uphold a law requiring people to show “good cause” before they could speak in public or march in a parade. It would be a violation of our First Amendment rights. Yet an ongoing court battle examines whether similar rules regarding the carrying of firearms is an equally outrageous violation of the Second Amendment. The case started in 2008 in San Diego County, when Edward Peruta and other gun owners challenged San Diego County’s process for issuing concealed-carry permits. State law gives sheriffs the power to determine “good cause” – and San Diego County required documentation...

Rapist Bill Cosby hosted an event for rapist Ted Kennedy in 2009. He also hosted a campaign event for Hillary Clinton in 2000.(snip) Cosby was also reported to be doing campaign events with First Lady Hillary Clinton.(snip) Democrats Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton are widely believed to have sexually assaulted dozens of women.

GotNews.com resumed the lawsuit to obtain Michael Brown’s juvenile criminal records and will file in juvenile court Tuesday. GotNews.com was joined by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in our suit to reveal Brown’s juvenile records but unfortunately the media is under some mistaken views about what actually happened.

In (the Ferguson disaster), the law was the greatest casualty. Civilization cannot long work if youths strong-arm shop owners and take what they want. Or walk down the middle of highways high on illicit drugs. Or attack police officers and seek to grab their weapons. Or fail to obey an officer’s command to halt. Or deliberately give false testimonies to authorities. Or riot, burn, and loot. Or, in the more abstract sense, simply ignore the legal findings of a grand jury; or, in critical legal theory fashion, seek to dismiss the authority of the law because it is not deemed...

The National Enquirer, still basking in the glow of its takedown of philandering John Edwards, a story well known to many in the media but ignored because the man was, after all, the Democrats’ pick for veep and a darling of the left, is reporting that Hillary Clinton may be heading to rehab for a drinking problem. A  “boozed-up” Hillary Clinton suffered a secret collapse during a recent vacation – and now worried advisers want her to do a secret stint in rehab before her White House run! Sources close to the former FirstLady and ex-Secretary of State revealed the hush-hush “Rehab Before...

Five St. Louis Rams football players came on to the field for the pre-game introductions with their hands raised in the familiar "hands up, don't shoot" pose of protestors demonstrating the decision of the Ferguson grand jury in the Michael Brown shooting case. The political statement has been condemned by the St. Louis Polcie Officers Association, who expressed their displeasure with the Rams organization and demanded the players be sanctioned. The statement deserves to be published in its entirety: From KDSK: "Five members of the Rams entered the field today exhibiting the "hands-up-don't-shoot" pose that has been adopted by protestors...

GotNews.com’s Ferguson police sources are confirming that they are grateful for the support of a libertarian militia group.“I was wondering when volunteer militia would finally show up,” said a well-placed law enforcement source.“The Oathkeepers started standing watch from Ferguson rooftops on Tuesday since Governor Nixon abdicated his duties Monday.”The officers describe being overwhelmed by the mob and under-supported by state and federal authorities.“Thank God for them.” Oath Keepers @Oathkeepers Follow This is where we stand (published last week ): Oath Keepers Open Letter to the People of Ferguson, Missouri http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2014/11/24/oath-keepers-open-letter-to-the-people-of-ferguson-missouri/ … 9:58 AM - 29 Nov 2014

Conservative blogger Adam Sharp and an associate were PHYSICALLY TOSSED OUT of Al Sharpton’s presser today. The bloggers were physically pushed out of St. Mark’s Church in Ferguson after one was overheard saying, “That ought to stir the pot,” during Sharpton’s divisive speech. The bloggers said the group physically pushed them from the room and followed them to their car and took photos of their plates. Sharpton lashed out at the conservatives and continued his contentious speech. (VIDEO-AT-LINK) Progressives Today @ProgsToday Prayers for @SharpElbowsNet's safety after he was assaulted by angry race mob at @TheRevAl #Ferguson presser. 1:41 PM -...

Last night, St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch laid blame on the “24-hour news cycle” for impeding justice in the grand jury case surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown. Now, a member of the 24-hour news cycle has turned around and blamed “bloggers” for causing an outsized amount of “commotion” in Ferguson. Following a press conference from Michael Brown’s family lawyers that was briefly disrupted by some disturbance in the crowd of reporters and supporters, Lemon attempted to explain what happened and the effect that similar instances have had on the situation in Ferguson. “OK, here’s the thing that people...

Officer Darren Wilson has, through his legal team, put out a statement reacting to the news tonight he will not be indicted by the Ferguson grand jury for the shooting of Michael Brown. Here is the statement in full:Today, a St. Louis County grand jury released its decision that no charges would be filed in the case involving Officer Darren Wilson. From the onset, we have maintained and the grand jury agreed that Officer Wilson’s action on August 9 were in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern the procedures of an officer. In a case of this magnitude,...

In fact, it’s hard to see who else you could have hired. Modeling health reform is a very detail-driven business: you need a detailed statistical representation of the population, together with detailed estimates of behavioral responses to incentives. Gruber has spent years developing such a model, which is maintained and update at considerable expense. Who else could bring the same resources to bear? Well, I guess the administration could have turned to the Lewin Group, but aside from the fact that Gruber has such sterling academic credentials, Lewin is owned by United Healthcare. In other words, Gruber is a real...

I was recently delighted to note the return of the incomparable Robin of Berkeley to the ranks of the blogosphere. Her insights are among the most thoughtful and revealing I have encountered on the web, and I am overjoyed at her return from a self imposed exile of almost two years, during which she posted only about a half dozen missives. In the past few weeks she has penned another half dozen, and I am profoundly hopeful that her output continues and increases. She is a recovering atheist leftist psychotherapist whose skewering of the insanity that is the Left is...

The left’s behavior in the months leading up to this year’s midterm elections reveals far more than mere anxiety about their results.There is real concern that they might be losing their grip on African-Americans, their most reliable constituency.They should be worried. African-Americans who, more than any other group, were promised “hope and change” in 2008 have seen plenty of reasons to lose hope, because the changes seen during Barack Obama’s first six years have done them serious harm.Democrats have gotten used to counting on well over 90 percent of blacks voting in their favor. If that figure had come down...

Maybe some kinds of advice should fit under the “we already knew that” category. New York journalist Errol Lewis, who apparently became a medical advisor for a day for a television network, decided to give some advice to those seeking to avoid catching Ebola. The advice is a little strange and perhaps a bit too simplistic. According to Lewis, anyone who doesn’t want to catch Ebola should simply avoid eating feces or mucus that has Ebola in it.

We have known about the H1N1 (Swine Flu), risk for many months now. We knew that last spring's outbreak would turn into a more virulent strain by this fall. That is all basic science. Concerned for our citizens, the government recognized the need to produce substantial volumes of vaccine. We have spent more than $2.2B for H1N1 Swine flu. To date, only a minor amount of this vaccine has been delivered, but concern seems muted. Despite new vaccine manufacturing technologies, we persist in using outdated methods and to spend huge sums of money in a wasteful manner. Why? ..... ....So,...

There was really no reason to think that the “Ace of Spades HQ Decision Desk” would be a hopeful sign for American democracy in 2014. The Decision Desk swings into action on primary election nights, with Brandon Finnigan, a burly 29-year-old, nailed to a busted black leather armchair at one of those cheap beige aluminum desks, halfhearted fake wood top, toward the back of a low-slung house at a truck stop crossroads deep in California’s monotonous Inland Empire. Dripping sweat every day since the air conditioner broke, Finnigan is the sole employee of a small truck dispatching company where he...