Free Republic

When asked to distinguish between the rights described in, say, the First Amendment, and the right described in the Second Amendment, Haslam responded that that was just the way it is. When asked under what authority the legislature acts to require state issued permits for handgun carry, he responds that’s what the legislature passed. Constitutional rights are fine in theory, he maintains, “but I live in the Real World”.

The number of American citizens and green-card holders severing their ties with the U.S. soared in the latter part of 2009, amid looming U.S. tax increases and a more aggressive posture by the Internal Revenue Service towards Americans living overseas. According to public records, just over 500 people worldwide renounced U.S. citizenship or permanent residency in the fourth quarter of 2009, the most recent period for which data are available. That is more people than have cut ties with the U.S. during all of 2007, and more than double the total expatriations in 2008. An Ohio-born entrepreneur, now based in Switzerland, told Dow...

RICE LAKE, Wis. (WCCO) ― [Click to zoom.] Click to enlarge 1 of 1 Quinn, who served one year on the Rice Lake City Council before being elected mayor on Tuesday, said, "Age, I don't think, necessarily makes a difference, I mean, it's about the issues." A young man wearing a Hollister T-shirt, shorts and sandals picked up election signs Wednesday in Rice Lake, Wis. The 19-year-old wasn't a campaign volunteer. Romaine Quinn is the new mayor. Quinn, who served one year on the Rice Lake City Council before being elected mayor on Tuesday, said, "Age, I don't think, necessarily...

"Anti-Catholicism," said writer Peter Viereck, "is the anti-Semitism of the intellectual." It is "the deepest-held bias in the history of the American people," said Arthur Schlesinger Sr. If there was any doubt that hatred of and hostility toward the Catholic Church persists, it was removed by the mob that has arisen howling "Resign!" at Pope Benedict XVI.

<p>Straight from Trey "It's the government's money" Grayson's red mouth.</p>

Gov. Christopher Christie has a 52%-21% job approval rating, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released this morning. New Jerseyans, by a 66%-21%, say the state budget should be balanced even it programs are cut rather than increase taxes.

[This article is excerpted from An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, vol. 1, Economic Thought Before Adam Smith.] Communist Zealots: the Anabaptists Sometimes Martin Luther must have felt that he had loosed the whirlwind, even opened the gates of Hell. Shortly after Luther launched the Reformation, various Anabaptist sects appeared and spread throughout Germany. The Anabaptists believed in predestination of the elect, but they also believed, in contrast to Luther, that they knew infallibly who the elect were: i.e., themselves. The sign of that election was in an emotional, mystical conversion process, that of being "born again,"...

[This article is excerpted from An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, vol. 1, Economic Thought Before Adam Smith.] Communist Zealots: the Anabaptists Sometimes Martin Luther must have felt that he had loosed the whirlwind, even opened the gates of Hell. Shortly after Luther launched the Reformation, various Anabaptist sects appeared and spread throughout Germany. The Anabaptists believed in predestination of the elect, but they also believed, in contrast to Luther, that they knew infallibly who the elect were: i.e., themselves. The sign of that election was in an emotional, mystical conversion process, that of being "born again,"...

MOSCOW, Ohio -- Like many people, Terry Hoskins has had troubles with his bank. But his solution to foreclosure might be unique. Hoskins said he's been in a struggle with RiverHills Bank over his Clermont County home for nearly a decade, a struggle that was coming to an end as the bank began foreclosure proceedings on his $350,000 home. "When I see I owe $160,000 on a home valued at $350,000, and someone decides they want to take it – no, I wasn't going to stand for that, so I took it down," Hoskins said.

An activist group that temporarily blocked access to key Australian government websites plans to continue its cyber attacks, the BBC has learned. The group, known as Anonymous, was protesting against the Australian government's proposals to apply filters to the internet in the country.

Given the Trey Grayson campaign's skepticism that Rand Paul was really getting an endorsement from Sarah Palin, the irony was especially thick when the Grayson campaign had to retract one of its announced endorsements on Monday afternoon. The original news release trumpeted 28 state legislators backing Grayson, including Republican Majority Caucus Chair, Senator Dan Seum (R-38) of Jefferson County. I saw Seum at the Rand Paul rally on Saturday, so I gave him a call Monday night. Seum tells me he withdrew his endorsement of Grayson and is, in fact, endorsing Paul. Seum refused to characterize what led to the...

RTTNews) - Rand Paul has received the endorsement of former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in his bid for the Kentucky Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ken. Palin's endorsement comes despite the fact that Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson is the favored candidate among many Republicans. "Governor Palin is providing tremendous leadership as the Tea Party movement and constitutional conservatives strive to take our country back," Paul said. "Sarah Palin is a giant in American politics. I am proud to receive her support."

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―The SPCA and Philadelphia Police Department are investigating allegations a man intentionally set his family's puppy on fire. According to the SPCA, the man, who lives in the 1100 block of Sanger Street in the city's Oxford Circle section, set the five-month-old pit-bull mix puppy ablaze Thursday evening while his children were home. SPCA officials said the puppy's head was doused in alcohol as an incendiary device and purposely set on fire.

When it comes to legislative pay and per-member spending, state lawmakers in New York rank near the nation's top, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. A state-by-state breakdown shows New York lawmakers in 2007 were paid the third highest annual base salary at $79,500, according to the latest NCSL salary figures. Only lawmakers in California and Michigan were paid more. New York's legislative budget, meanwhile, was the nation's third largest in 2004 and lawmakers from the Empire State also ranked fourth that year in spending per member, according to the latest NCSL data

Amid growing opposition in the Senate to Bernanke winning a second term, CNBC has learned that the Democratic leadership is still gauging support for the beleaguered central bank chief.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow launched an error-riddled attack against the John Birch Society in her December 18 show, nominally because the John Birch Society has become a sponsor of the upcoming February 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.

The John Birch Society Announces CPAC 2010 Cosponsorship JBS to provide leadership, educational presence at nation's top conservative gathering APPLETON, WIS.—December 15, 2009—The John Birch Society announces it is cosponsoring the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2010, to be held in Washington DC, Feb. 18-20. JBS will have a double booth with half dedicated to offering educational and promotional materials and the other half housing a TV studio that will stream live video from the booth and broadcast onto JBS LibertyNewsNetwork.tv, a website that will feature archived JBS video and live video streams. Last year, more than 8,000 attendees were...

Grayson and heads of agencies across state government have sent letters to State Budget Director Mary Lassiter explaining potential ramifications of 6% cuts that the Governor has called for.

President Obama will next week announce a surge of at least 25,000 new US troops to Afghanistan in a speech to the nation, according to US officials today. Mr Obama will make the announcement in an address on Tuesday, December 1, after weeks of deliberations over his Afghan strategy and a tenth session with his war council in the White House on Monday night.

Y'all, this primary for the Kentucky Senate race is just amazing...never a dull moment, that's for sure! Here's a little breakdown for those of you who aren't up to speed. I have written previously about Dr. Rand Paul, there's Kentucky Secretary of State, Trey Grayson, Bill Johnson (who is endorsed by Dr. Alan Keyes, no less!), and a host of others, all in contention for the Republican slot on the ballot. To say there's a lot of politicking going on is the understatement of the year.