Free Republic

A Northwestern University Mexican student group finds “eating tacos and drinking tequila” to celebrate Cinco de Mayo racially offensive, and wants to see the practice come to an end. In a letter to the university’s paper, the Latin student group Alianza called for a “respectful” celebration to commemorate “the Battles of Puebla, in which a vastly outnumbered, under-equipped Mexican army twice defeated the well-armed, well-trained French army, which had not lost a battle in over fifty years.” This is not unlike a uniquely American holiday, which commemorates the moment when 56 men affixed their signatures upon the Declaration of Independence...

A retired Army officer wrote to a U.S. senator Saturday about his concern that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to arm itself against the people of the United States. Retired Capt. Terry Michael Hestilow posted his letter to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on his Facebook page, noting that Homeland Security has made a number of large ammunition, weapon and light-armored vehicle purchases recently and has refused to answer questions about them. Hestilow begins by noting the large ammunition, weapon and light armored vehicle purchases recently made by DHS, as well as that agency’s refusal to answer any questions...

December’s tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School has prompted lawmakers across the country to propose stringent gun laws. Washington state legislators now say maybe they’ve gone too far. Washington’s SB 5737 – 2013-14, introduced Feb.13 by three Seattle Democrats, like many similar bills, includes an outright assault weapons ban. Individuals already possessing an assault weapon are “allowed” to retain them, but with the proviso that the owners submit themselves to annual police home inspections. “They always say, we’ll never go house to house to take your guns away,” said Lance Palmer, a Seattle trial lawyer and self-described liberal to...

President Obama is once again in disengagement mode. The first family has scheduled another vacation – for three weeks, beginning Dec. 17. This in and of itself doesn’t bother me. Presidents are entitled to take vacations – even presidents who spend more time on the golf course than they do in the Oval Office. I don’t even begrudge him the disruption he’ll be causing his constituents. According to the Hawaii Reporter, the Obamas’ vacation will hugely restrict the comings and goings of the residents living in the upscale Oahu neighborhood, where they’ll be staying. Streets will be barricaded and, unlike...

In June, the Washington Post celebrated the 40th anniversary of the biggest scoop in journalistic history — Watergate. Looking back on it, the Post has every right to crow. The story was so huge that every political scandal since has been labeled with the word “gate” tagged onto the end of it. However, the Post should also consider the adage, “You’re only as good as your last story,” because there’s a bigger one out there for the taking, if it only had the courage to pursue it. That story is, of course, the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi,...

In his Saturday radio and Internet address, President Barack Obama excoriated House Republicans for commencing their scheduled recess at a time when there were numerous bills to be voted on that allegedly would have buttressed the economy. “Last week, without much fanfare, members of the House of Representatives banged a gavel, turned out the lights and rushed home, declaring their work finished for now,” Obama began. “If that frustrates you, it should, because their work isn’t finished. “When they skipped town, members of Congress left a whole bunch of proposals sitting on the table. These ideas have been around for...

Hurricane Isaac isn’t the only storm developing in Tampa. The Republican National Committee is brewing up one of its own. Florida has a penchant for jumping in the gun when it comes to scheduling presidential primaries. We did it in 2008 and again in 2012. Republican National Committee rules provide that when a state moves its primary ahead of those of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, the state forfeits half its delegates. That rule ended up reducing Florida’s delegates from 99 to 50 at Tampa convention.

“It’s good to be king!” is an oft-quoted line from Mel Brooks’ “History of the World, Part I.” In America, every man is supposed to be king, every woman queen, and members of Congress are supposed to be our servants. We sometimes forget that last part. Three people in Orlando have not. On Aug. 15, Charles Klein, Sally Baptiste and Theresa Kajkowski filed a lawsuit in Florida's Middle District Federal Court. Nothing unusual in that -- lawsuits are filed every day, especially in litigation-prone America. What’s unusual is that the plaintiffs name the entire membership of the U.S. House and...

On MSNBC’s The Cycle, Thursday, S.E. Cupp took on co-hosts Krystal Ball and Touré who said Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was using racial coding and engaging in the “niggerization” of Obama.

When U.S. Rep. Allen West visited GelTech Solutions in Jupiter last week, he expressed both enthusiasm for its “next-generation” products and frustration with the government’s tendency to hinder small businesses’ growth. In an exclusive interview, West said so many government agencies are “stuck on stupid,” continuing their old ways instead of embracing new, less expensive technology. Such archaic thinking, he said, ends up costing the American taxpayer more money. GelTech Solutions, a small, publicly traded company based in Jupiter, is growing at a time when many other businesses are struggling in a crippling economic downturn. Though it is just one...

‘Tis the season when candidates release new political ads almost daily, and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla,, is no exception. In response, Miami Herald’s Marc Caputo asks, “Why is Sen. Bill Nelson reminding us of who he is?

Last week, I argued that the worst time to debate any gun control issue was in the wake of a massacre. I guess I didn’t say it loud enough because the people in New York and New Jersey didn’t hear me. Democratic lawmakers U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, N.Y. and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, N.J. announced the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act Monday afternoon on the steps of New York City Hall. The bill, if passed, would put an end to all mail-order and online sales of ammunition.

US Congressman Allen West offered a heartfelt response to recent news that the International Olympics Committee refused to schedule a moment of silence for the eleven Israeli athletes and coaches, as well as one West German police officer who were killed at the Munich Olympics 40 years ago. West recalled watching the Munich Olympics at age eleven, feeling baffled by the horror that interrupted the usual competitive spirit of the prestigious games. He said that he worries if we start to shirk the responsibilities we have to honor the dead on occasions such as this, what will happen 40 years...

A newly released report reveals some hard facts about how much time and effort President Obama has actually put into fixing the economy. An analysis of the President's official schedule looks at his first 1257 days, and paints a picture of what reality looks like, as opposed to his rhetoric. The following excerpt shows some of the startling facts.

Could Texas once again become the Republic of Texas? Without question, the Nov. 6 election will be a do-or-die, make-or-break, Rubicon-crossing event. If the presidential election goes one way, we get a “do-over.” We’ll be given the opportunity to take the first step on a long, arduous journey back to our political and economic roots. If it goes the other way, federalism and balance of power will continue to be edged out by an overreaching federal government and an imperial presidency. Socialism will have an unbreakable hold on the economy, and a centralized government, rather than a free market, will...

Often the most wondrous things come in the smallest of packages. Today, the hope of an Arab Spring is fast becoming the despair of a nuclear winter. We’re turning our backs to the only true ally we have in the Middle East, only to make alliances with tenuously formed governments. The United Nations is more concerned with wealth redistribution and political correctness than it is for its chief priority -- peacekeeping. In the void, it’s important to remember a time when a child stepped in to do the job the UN couldn’t, or wouldn’t. Her target? Yuri Andropov, the general...

No one can say Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon lacks imagination. Perhaps she took the $11,000 seminar presented by the creative folks from Disney too much to heart. Maybe she has a Peter Pan complex and doesn’t want to grow up. Whatever the reason, her office has dreamed up the most cartoonish job titles conceivable.

The same United Nations that appointed Cuba, China and Saudi Arabia to its Human Rights Council is now looking to steal something that belongs to us. The same United Nations that includes China and Pakistan as members of its Security Council now wants to make the United States less financially secure. The same United Nations that wants to confiscate your firearms also wants your offshore gas and oil revenues. And it is doing so with the advice and consent of our own government, which is now dusting off a long-forgotten treaty that was rejected 30 years ago to give it...

This election cycle, President Obama’s team is bringing up class warfare, the war on women and Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital. One issue that’s missing, to the disappointment of the left, is gun control. During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama called for a ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic weapons and more restrictions on purchasing all firearms. I pointed out in a previous column that most handguns sold today are semi-automatic. Since his inauguration, however, we’ve heard little on gun control from the president. And he’s been given plenty of opportunity to take a stand. There have...

This election cycle, President Obama’s team is bringing up class warfare, the war on women and Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital. One issue that’s missing, to the disappointment of the left, is gun control. During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama called for a ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic weapons and more restrictions on purchasing all firearms. I pointed out in a previous column that most handguns sold today are semi-automatic. Since his inauguration, however, we’ve heard little on gun control from the president. And he’s been given plenty of opportunity to take a stand. There have...