Free Republic

How has Barack Obama’s reactive strategy to the sweep of the Islamic State across Iraq been received so far in Washington? Not well, as critics arose across the partisan spectrum. “It takes an army to defeat an army,” Senator Dianne Feinstein said yesterday in regard to the threat ISIS now poses to the region — and the US: Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein warned Friday of the risk that the insurgent group ISIL could be preparing fighters to attack American and European targets.“It has become clear that ISIL is recruiting fighters in Western countries, training them to fight its...

Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein warned Friday of the risk that the insurgent group ISIL could be preparing fighters to attack American and European targets. “It has become clear that ISIL is recruiting fighters in Western countries, training them to fight its battles in the Middle East and possibly returning them to European and American cities to attack us in our backyard,” the California Democrat said in a statement backing military action authorized by President Barack Obama. “We simply cannot allow this to happen.” Feinstein called for a broader military campaign against ISIL, not just the targeted missions authorized by...

The push to elect the Asian-American women is part of Republican efforts to tap into Democrat-style identity politics to try to find a way to stop — or even reverse — its eroding support among minority voters. “California is a precursor of the dynamic change, demographicswise, in America,” said Shawn Steel, a member of the Republican National Committee from California whose wife, Michelle, is one of the candidates. “So this is a harbinger. This is a call in the dark night saying, ‘Look, guys, let’s change. We have to adapt or die.’” In the state that controls the single biggest...

Medical marijuana smokers in San Diego say the city has forced their pot shops to locate in remote areas and that means the drives to and from will increase air pollution — and ultimately, harm their lungs. The Union of Medical Marijuana Patients has filed a lawsuit, saying the city is violating the California Environmental Quality Act, United Press International reported. The suit names as defendants the Coastal Commission and the city of San Diego and claims the zoning laws put in place for marijuana dispensaries means patients have to actually get in their cars to drive to the remote...

California lawmakers have put forward several bills designed to solve a problem created by the Affordable Care Act. The problem is small provider networks that make it difficult for some people to find a doctor. The problem stems from the design of Obamacare, which requires insurers to offer a standard package of coverage and to offer insurance to everyone regardless of their health. Unable to adjust costs by limiting coverage or by limiting access, insurers were left with one way to compete on price: limiting provider networks. In the case of some major California insurers, the networks were initially too...

While standing on a shoreline with The Lord both of us looking out not far off in the calm sea I saw a great sailing ship with twelve sails and hundreds of lines many for each sail some to lift them and many to control them and change their direction depending on the conditions and direction of the wind . On deck I saw just one child of God and a few people they had chosen as the crew not God frantically running all over futily attempting to control and adjust all the sails simultaneously and I sensed each sail...

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — An insurance company settled a lawsuit with a Los Angeles man by dropping off buckets full of thousands of quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies, his attorney said Wednesday.</p>

CHATSWORTH (CBSLA.com) — Hundreds of Angelenos could soon be out of work after Nestlé USA announced it will relocate a Hot Pockets facility in Chatsworth back east. KNX 1070’s Margaret Carrero reports the 184,000-square-foot production facility in the 9600 block of Canoga Avenue has been making the popular snacks since 1988 The Glendale-based Nestlé USA will move the Chatsworth operation to another facility in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, where the company will invest $13 million and hire 150 new employees locally as the operation converts to a round-the-clock schedule, officials announced. Approximately 360 employees will be impacted by the closure, but...

Several "concerned local veterans" have reportedly pointed out that Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) of the 26th congressional district sent a political mailer to her constituents in July that featured a stock photo of a "veteran" wearing a hat bearing a German Lutwaffe insignia, according to the Daily Caller. "The photograph is likely a purchased stock photo of a model in a costume contrived from various emblems to look like an official naval uniform. However it is clearly not an American Navy uniform, or that of any U.S. military branch," said Brownley's opponent, Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) in a press...

California is weighing a first-of-its-kind welfare program that would subsidize diapers for needy families, though some lawmakers say the plan's a stinker. Assembly Bill 1516, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego, would create the taxpayer-backed program within the state's existing welfare network, called CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids). Families that qualify for CalWORKS could be eligible for $80 a month to buy diapers for children under the age of 2. “When you have an identifiable problem preventing women from self-sufficiency and there is an identifiable barrier, shouldn’t we help that along when we...

Vanity: Some all comedy stations have dropped the format as distribution of 24/7 comedy ended. One is KFNY AM 1440 Riverside, CA, which is now news-talk as "IE (Inland Empire) 1440". As one would expect with Clear Channel this probably means syndicated talkers like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity. Not sure, as the KFNY website doesn't have a schedule yet but I just went to iHeartRadio at 11:06 ET--8:06 PT--and heard Glenn Beck. So if you like conservative talk and are up there, it may be worth checking out. (The site does have a new logo, a mention...

Alfredo Garcia is an illegal alien with a long list of felonies on his arrest record. Garcia also fell out of an avocado tree while high on cocaine and sustained a spinal injury 18 years ago. Since the injury, Garcia uses the Federal ADA laws to pilfer money from honest hard-working American business owners. In addition to extorting money from American businesses, Garcia claims to be poor so that the American taxpayer will pick up the tab for his legal expenses. Estimated law suit settlements total at least $1.2 million, and legal fees paid by the taxpayer approximately $213,502. The...

Over the weekend, both the Senate and the House approved $225M in funding for the Iron Dome. The bill passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and by a 395 to 8 vote. Opposition to the funding of the Iron Dome demonstarted an unfortunate bi-partisan measure – four Democrats and four Republicans voted against it. The four Democrats were Keith Ellison (MN-05), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Jim Moran (VA-08), and Beto O’Rourke (TX-16); The four Republicans were Justin Amash (MI-03), Walter Jones (NC-03), Tom Massie (KY-04), and Mark Sanford (SC-01). Rep. Ellison explains vote on “Meet the Press”: “Because a ceasefire...

You may recall that on Friday, in what would have been a Christmas Miracle were it not several months early, Congress actually got something done. It was the passage of a bill approving $225M in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defensive missile system. It was quite the bipartisan effort in retrospect, garnering an overwhelming 395 votes in the House with only eight in opposition. One of those eight was Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, and as The Corner reports, he went out on the weekend gab circuit to explain why he didn’t support the measure. “Because a cease-fire is what we...

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California has called for an end to racial and religious profiling of Muslims in a meeting with a group tied to Hamas and Saudi Arabian purse strings. “We appreciate the opportunity to interact with national leaders and to share the Muslim community’s concerns on issues of mutual concern,” said Arsalan Iftikhar, legal director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, who joined Pelosi and other prominent Democratic members of Congress.

[snip]The inevitability of the mass migration away from California still hasn't quite sunk in among most people who live there. Almost no one has thought about how they might afford to move out of California when the value of their own property in California will be approaching zero.

The Supreme Court has turned aside all Second Amendment challenges since a pair of landmark rulings in 2008 and 2009 confirmed the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms. But some believe a California case could make the high court return to the controversial area and determine whether gun ownership rights extend beyond the corners of one's home. [Snip] In February, a divided three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in Laxson's favor concluding that as responsible citizens she and the other plaintiffs have the right to carry a concealed weapon for self-protection. The San...

SACRAMENTO -- David A.R. Barnitz surveys the lawn on the north side of the State Capitol--the handful of tents, the small circle of activists seated in the shade. This is not "the nirvana I was hoping for," he admits. Still, as roughly 50 people gathered Thursday in the sweltering 97-degree heat for the start of the four-day Occupy National Gathering, he was encouraged by the "unity" and "sense of purpose" among those present. "It's Occupy in its evolutionary stages," he says hopefully. In the fall of 2011, thousands gathered in lower Manhattan for Occupy Wall Street, and thousands more staged...

A short gig doing security for the True Blood television show. A stint driving for a rental car company. A week as a customer service representative at a retail store. This is how Delvontaie Antwine, 34, makes do in California's economic recovery — earning a few scattered paychecks a month from odd temp jobs while living with relatives in Silver Lake. Each week, he goes to a career center, where recently he was looking into positions transporting patients for Kaiser Permanente. "I just need something consistent; otherwise, I'm like a puppy chasing its tail," he said. "I'm at the bottom...

The billionaire is ready to take out Florida’s multi-millionaire governor. In a nationwide push to fight Republicans who deny the existence of man-made climate change, investor-turned-activist Tom Steyer has founded a Florida political committee, seeded it with $750,000 of his own money and says he’ll spend far more to help Democrat Charlie Crist defeat Gov. Rick Scott. Florida Democrats are buzzing about Steyer spending $10 million, which he won’t discuss. Republicans say the California Democrat is a phony environmentalist, but they nevertheless worry his financial commitment could be real in Florida. “It’s hard to look at the map of the...