Free Republic

Is it me or were the Super Bowl commercials this year unusually ugly, misogynistic, and, worst of all, unfunny? Some of America’s biggest corporations seemed to be trying to play to Teabag America, and the results were as bitter as the teabaggers themselves. Amidst the dreck was a commercial from Audi featuring the “green police.” Here it is:

Conservatism is about being not obstructionist, but principled. Imagine if someone told you that even though you are a Christian, in order to get along better with others, you need to put your religious beliefs on hold until 2012. Don't worry about that "salvation" thing for a couple of years. Or imagine if you were asked to love your parents a little less because your full-hearted devotion to them is getting in the way of showing your affection for others. Wait until the next election to prove your respect for your family. Diminishing these deeply held beliefs and feelings would...

Three House Democrats are now pushing legislation that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating carbon emissions—a decision the agency announced in December — without express permission from the Congress.

Sarah Palin's knock 'em out of the ballpark Nashville Address last night is already causing major tidal waves on thie other side of the Pacific Ocean.In her Tea Party address, Gov. Palin took the Obama Administration to serious task over plummeting US-Japan relations. She specifically mentioned that Japan is the KEY AMERICAN ALLY IN THE PACIFIC and clearly crossed swords with Barack Obama over his treatment of this critical bilateral tie.Anyone who knows the Japanese media will know that when Japan is specifically talked about by name and particularly by a major US leader, ears perk up and the...

The FBI is pressing Internet service providers to record which Web sites customers visit and retain those logs for two years, a requirement that law enforcement believes could help it in investigations of child pornography and other serious crimes. FBI Director Robert Mueller supports storing Internet users' "origin and destination information," a bureau attorney said at a federal task force meeting on Thursday. As far back as a 2006 speech, Mueller had called for data retention on the part of Internet providers, and emphasized the point two years later when explicitly asking Congress to enact a law making it mandatory....

How Much is My Bachelor’s Really Worth? Bethany Stotts, February 4, 2010 Mary Pilon writes for the Wall Street Journal on February 2 that researchers are questioning whether college graduates actually gain $800,000 or $1 million in additional lifetime earnings over those with only a high school degree. “In recent years, the nonprofit College Board touted the difference in lifetime earnings of college grads over high-school graduates at $800,000, a widely circulated figure,” Pilon reports. “Other estimates topped $1 million.” “But now, as tuition continues to skyrocket and many seeking to change careers are heading back to school, some researchers...

Click Link www.sun.com sigh....

Lt. Nick Radosevich had his orders. Soon he would ship out to England and begin bombing targets deep inside Nazi territory. He sought an edge, a good-luck charm. He met a girl. They had some drinks and dinner. Her cocker spaniel had recently delivered puppies. "That's it,'' the handsome 26-year-old pilot said. He picked out a jet black female and named her Penelope — Penny for short. He attached a small metal cylinder to her collar that contained contact information in case Penny should get lost. 2/Lt. Nick Radosevich, 734th Squadron, 453rd Bomb Group. For the long trip from March...

Much has been written about the movie Avatar, but I think I have a unique perspective, inasmuch as I write from the region of the world Bat Ye’or calls “Eurabia” and the city Melanie Phillips has dubbed “Londonistan.” I have seen the film twice now and can categorically report that it is a vicious polemic against the United States and a blatant hate-fest against the brave men and women who serve in the United States Marine Corps. It is also an invitation to worldwide terrorists — not just Muslim radicals but anyone and everyone who hates that “Great Satan,” the...

Even as he retired from football, Kurt Warner couldn't help but be concerned about the team he's leaving behind. The Arizona Cardinals' fledgling success directly correlated to the rhythm of their passing offense, directed by the 38-year-old quarterback with perhaps the most improbable rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story in professional sports history. But now he's gone. "I don't think you can help but think about that," Warner said of the predicament his retirement could bring the Cardinals. "That's the hardest part for me." However, thanks to Warner, a two-time league MVP, at least a model for success has been built. "It's important to...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy grew at a faster-than-expected 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, the quickest pace in more than six years, as businesses reduced inventories less aggressively, the Commerce Department said on Friday. The first estimate put fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth at its fastest pace since the third quarter of 2003. The economy expanded at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter...

Former vice presidential candidate and current Fox News contributor Sarah Palin said last night that the Republican Party should merge with tea partiers. Fox's Greta Van Susteren asked if tea party candidates would end up siphoning votes from GOP nominees, or if the movement will "merge with the Republican Party." "They need to merge," Palin said. "Definitely, they need to merge. I think those who are wanting the divisions and the divisiveness and the controversy -- those are the ones who don't believe in the message. And they're the ones, I think, stirring it up." As we've reported at TPMmuckraker,...

For weeks and weeks my email has been peppered with notes from people in Illinois along the lines of this one: You keep talking about Pat Hughes, but what about Adam Andrzejewski? He’s a dream candidate. He’s a Rubio. Everyone these days calls their candidate a Rubio. Guess what? Andrzejewski is a Rubio — well spoken, attractive, conservative to his core, and with a zealous band of conservative supporters. Oh, and he strikes fear and dread into the heart of the old guard Republicans who led Illinois off the cliff into the hands of an even more corrupt Democrat Party....

The president is scheduled to give the State of the Union address at 9 PM eastern.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As one of his first moves upon becoming CEO, eBay chief John Donahoe unveiled a slew of changes to the online marketplace, kicking off an uproar among sellers and sparking boycotts. Two years later, eBay is finally starting to see signs of success on its turnaround plan. The San Jose, Calif., e-commerce giant on Wednesday reported 2009 sales of $8.7 billion, up from $8.5 billion in 2008. That's a 14% increase from the $7.7 billion in revenue eBay had in 2007, the year before Donahoe's overhaul. EBay's profits, though, haven't kept pace with its sales growth....

Does radio suck or is it me? In Pittsburgh, Fm radio is made up with two country stations, one alternative station, one Conservative talker{ but they also put on the Pirate games, often taking off either Rush or Savage} a teeny popper station, a Oldies station with a playlist of like 50 songs , a soft rock station and a Album rock station. I miss those funky stations that played song you havent heard in a while. Maybe I am getting old, but radio sucks.

Well the NBC late night drama saga has ended, for now at least. Conan O’Brien had his last Tonight Show last night. If you missed Conan’s last show and final monologue, never fear I have Conan O’Brien’s final monologue video below. After weeks of will he stay will he go, Conan has said goodbye to The Tonight Show and lets just say he did not disappoint in his final show, especially when it came to his final Tonight Show monologue. From his jokes about really having to go, to having Tilda Swinton play him in an HBO movie, Conan kept...

In what is perhaps one of the greatest campaign attack ads I've ever seen, Illinois gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes resurrects former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington for comment on Illinois' current governor Pat Quinn. This is absolutely priceless and could cost Quinn his office all by itself.

Sharing a bed with someone could temporarily reduce your brain power - at least if you are a man - Austrian scientists suggest. When men spend the night with a bed mate their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day. The lack of sleep also increases a man's stress hormone levels. According to the New Scientist study, women who share a bed fare better because they sleep more deeply.

A weird evening. Within five minutes, two sources call, each one hearing through the grapevine the internals of one of the two major campaigns in Massachusetts. One tells me that the most recent internal poll of the Scott Brown campaign shows the Republican winning by . . . 11 percentage points. I'm getting the sense that the folks hearing this are almost a little incredulous, but it seems every demographic and key group is breaking to Brown in the past day or two. For weeks, Brown and everyone around him has said they will campaign and work as if they're...

Multiple advisers to President Obama have privately told party officials that they believe Democrat Martha Coakley is going to lose Tuesday’s special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy for more than 40 years, several Democratic sources told CNN Sunday. The presidential advisers have grown increasingly pessimistic in the last three days about Coakley's chances after a series of missteps by the candidate, sources said.

The latest news is a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Argentina after the 7.0 Haiti Earthquake and the 5.6 Venezuela Earthquake, and all less than a week.

We haven't received our census questionnaire yet. But, my poor mother did. She lives in another state. She old and become rather frail and it takes her time to do things. When I spoke to her today, she said she spent all day filling it out. I told her, I know for a fact that all of those questions are illegal for them to ask except how many individuals live in your house. Is there any other questions that we are suppose to answer but, that one?

The Redcoats are coming, the Redcoats are coming! How historic where Liberty was formed, it is being reborn. There is a real revolution in this Country brewing at the site of the original Tea Party, these modern Tea Patriots are about to start a second Revolutionary War. Unlike the first one that had Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin this one has ordinary people doing what Americans have done since 1776, throwing out tyrants. As the busses begin lining up from NY to DC full of ACRIME thugs, our ragtag army is ready to fight this Battle of Boston w/cameras and...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is firing back at Rush Limbaugh after the conservative talk radio host urged people not to donate to relief efforts in Haiti. Spokesman Robert Gibbs says there are always people who say "really stupid things" during a crisis. He says it's sad that Limbaugh would use the power of his pulpit to convince people not to assist those in need.