Free Republic

Manchester – Potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty came to the leadoff-primary state today urging the GOP to return to its conservative base and then practice what it preaches if it hopes to regain the lost trust of Americans. "We've got to explain using conservative principles, conservative ideas and values, why our approach, even if it may not be instant gratification, is better for families and individuals and regular working people all across this country on those kind of issues, those bread and butter, meat and potatoes issues," he told the New Hampshire Union Leader in an...

The Founding Fathers created a Republic, but 60 Senators are poised to take it away. With the pending disaster of the passage in the Senate of a bill nationalizing one sixth of the U.S. economy and our entire healthcare system at a cost of over $2.5 trillion, we are faced with a crucial question: are the Republican senators using every means at their disposal to stop this looming, tyrannical abuse of power? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be “no.” The Senate, unlike the House of Representatives, has parliamentary rules and procedures that give the minority the ability to stall legislation....

Last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller definitively settled the fact that the Second Amendment secures an individual right—not a collective one—to keep and bear arms. Yet that ruling applied only to the federal government (which oversees Washington, D.C.). Does the Second Amendment apply against state and local governments as well? Through a series of legal decisions handed down over the past century, the Supreme Court has gradually held that most of the protections in the Bill of Rights apply to the states via the 14th Amendment, which declares, “No State shall make or enforce...

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Victor Davis Hanson, a classicist and historian at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. FP: Victor Hanson, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Hanson: Glad to be here again. FP: Sarah Palin is, clearly, carving out a national presence right now. It’s not just the appeal of her book, but also her outspokenness on the Copenhagen conference and other issues. What do you think she might be up to? And what is she tapping into? What are her possibilities? Hanson: I think she taps into a current of populist unhappiness in the country with Washington insiders, Big Money, and...

tly sent the following letter to our senior senator, Max Baucus: Max, let's start out by saying that you have been doing a good job for Montana in recent years and that is why I have voted for you every time you have been on the ballot. That, I'm afraid, is about to change if you keep going down the path you are on concerning the requirement for health insurance or risk a fine. This is unbelievable and un-American. You see Max, until recently I had no health insurance and made too much money for Medicaid. I was stuck in...

American Life League 17 December 2009 CONTACT: Katie Walker540.659.4942| kwalker@all.org  Washington, DC (17 December 2009) – Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, issued the following statement upon hearing news Sen. Bob Casey is set to introduce “compromise� legislation on abortion as part of the Senate health care reform bill: "We call on the leaders of the pro-life movement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic members of Congress to stop fighting to maintain the abortion status quo, which treats human beings as property; to stand firm against band-aid compromises; and to oppose the entire deplorable health care...

How serious is the split in the Democratic Party over the ObamaCare compromise that leaves progressives without a fig leaf? Howard Dean has gone on national TV for three days in a row demanding that his allies in the Democratic Party defeat the bill and force Barack Obama and the White House to start over from scratch. Joe Scarborough managed to get both Dean and David Axelrod on his show today to get both sides of the (Democratic) story. First, Axelrod says the Left would be “insane” to kill ObamaCare now:

In a related development, secret documents were leaked today indicating that the United Nations has been plotting to form an international environmental governing body which almost certainly would infringe on U.S. sovereignty.

A spokesman for the American Family Association says a Republican homosexual activist group doesn't belong at a popular conservative political conference in February. The homosexual activist group GOProud, an offshoot of the Log Cabin Republicans, boasts on its website that it will be a co-sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on February 18-20. Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of GOProud, says taking part in CPAC "is one of the most important things [GOProud] will do all year," and affords the homosexual activist group "an incredible opportunity to deliver [its] message." GOProud advocates same-sex "marriage," a repeal of...

And the Pu-loser Award for "Correction of the Year" goes to ... The Washington Post for a correction that inspired the amusing hashtag #washingtonpostcorrections on Twitter. Here's the correction: "A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number." And here's the explanation: "It's Correction of the Year because it communicates that people notice and care about corrections, and because it demonstrates the participatory potential being unleashed by the Internet." Craig Silverman, author of the book Regret The Error and...

Judges of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will vote soon on whether to reconsider their decision last week denying gay rights advocates access to internal communications of Proposition 8 supporters who succeeded in getting voters to ban same-sex marriage last year. In a terse announcement filed this evening, the three judges who denied the access, citing 1st Amendment grounds, said one of the 27 active judges on the court had called for a vote to rehear the issue with a full 11-member panel of judges. The call for the rehearing vote could signal dismay by at least one...

The closer-than-expected vote in the Senate Banking Committee to recommend Ben Bernanke’s confirmation for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve raised at least one new question: What would happen if the full Senate does not go along? Without controversy, Bernanke would need just a simple majority – 51 votes -- in the Senate to secure another four years at the helm of the Fed, but that hurdle jumps to 60 if Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Jim Bunning (R-KY) and David Vitter (R-LA) carry out their threats of a filibuster. Those threats make it all...

It's often said markets function better when there is gridlock in Washington, D.C. because there's less of a chance for government will interfere in the private sector, creating a sense of security. But in this day and time, that theory applies to the U.S. dollar as well. On CNBC's Dec. 17 "Squawk Box," CNBC Chicago Mercantile Exchange reporter Rick Santelli debated what was causing the recent rise in the U.S. dollar. Santelli, the original inspiration for the tea party movement, squared off with Jim Iuorio, CNBC "OptionsAction" regular and CME trader, about the cause - a weakened European economy or...

Over ONE MILLION copies sold! On the NYTimes Bestseller List for 19 weeks, 12 weeks at #1!Buy it… read it… live it!“Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811

The Working Families Party has irregularly reported rent payments over the years on its state campaign finance disclosures, leading some to question whether the Party has been getting what could be considered large in-kind contributions in the form of office space. Also among the recipients of rent payments was an entity called NYOSCI, listed on multiple documents as having an address in New Orleans identical to one used by many ACORN entities on incorporation documents. NYOSCI has been the recipient of most of the Party’s recent rent payments, though some have also been made to Community Labor Administrative Services, a...

"Constitution ‘Charges Congress With the Health’ of the People" (CNSNews.com) - Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) told CNSNews.com that Congress has the authority to force individual Americans to buy health insurance because the U.S. Constitution “charges Congress with the health and well-being of the people.” The words “health” and “well-being” do not appear anywhere in the Constitution. The Congressional Budget Office has determined that in the entire history of the United States the federal government has never mandated that Americans buy any good or service. Both the House and Senate health care bills, however, include provisions that require all legal residents...

From NBC’s Domenico MontanaroDespite a noxious political environment and recent retirements of members in competitive districts, the man tasked with trying to stave off a terrible midterm election for House Democrats says his party will hold onto a majority. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) called predictions of a Republican House takeover nothing more than “hyperbole.” “That hyperbole is just that,” Van Hollen said, particularly of predictions made by his Republican counterpart Pete Sessions (R-TX) and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA).But after two cycles of big gains for Democrats, signs -- 11 months from next year's...

WASHINGTON -- After nearly a year in office, the defining political image of President Barack Obama has yet to emerge. Is he a hawk or dove, a liberal or a moderate? His Nobel Peace prize speech exposed his ambivalence. He harkened back to the Roman Catholic theologians to defend his "just war" in Afghanistan -- but he also expressed his ideals for a better world. Measuring Obama’s performance is truly in the eyes of the beholder. To those who were enthralled with Obama’s eloquence in the presidential campaign, reality is setting in. News flash: He doesn’t walk on water. But...

In a stunning reversal of fortune for President Barack Obama, top progressives are attacking the health-reform plan moving through the Senate as “hollow,” “unsupportable” and a sellout to corporate interests. Republicans, after plotting for months to sink the signature legislation of Obama’s first year, suddenly think that Democrats might wind up doing it for them. Most dangerously for White House chances of assembling 60 Senate votes, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean launched a third day of attacks on the emerging bill, arguing in a Washington Post op-ed that it meets none of his benchmarks for “real reform.” “[A]s it stands,...

A friend of mine lives in Kona on the Big Island in Hawaii. He has a fishing boat which he proudly named the 44-DD after a spectacular feature of his wife's anatomy. This is not about that sort of Double-D. While it may be difficult to keep your mind off what that spectacular feature might look like - just as it's hard to comply with the demand that you not think of a pink elephant - let's try and focus on a Double-D that can rescue our country from the clutches of the Fascist Democrat Party and the destruction being...

"Saturday Night Live" has been ridiculing President Obama’s claim that he wants to reduce spending and cut the deficit. Katie Couric says Americans are growing “disenchanted” with Obama, and she cites polls questioning his credibility on her “CBS Evening News.” The Associated Press ran stories pointing out Obama’s misrepresentations on healthcare proposals. Washington Post editorials lambasted him over his out-of-control spending. Finally, the New Yorker ran a cover showing Obama bowing to Santa Claus. As traditionally liberal media outlets finally wake up to how extreme Obama is, his approval ratings will continue to sag. The latest Rasmussen poll found that...

In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world. While Great Britain's maritime power and its far-flung empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the world's industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina for the position of the world's second-most powerful economy. It was blessed with abundant agriculture, vast swaths of rich farmland laced with navigable rivers and an accessible port system. Its level of industrialization was higher than many European countries: railroads, automobiles and telephones were commonplace. In 1916, a new president was elected. Hipólito Irigoyen had formed a...

As if she didn't have enough adversaries, Sarah Palin has decided to mix it up with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ostensibly, the issue was global warming. Actually, it's about the future face of the Republican Party -- whose it will be, and the ideology that person brings to the table. The exchange of criticisms between the ex-governor of Alaska and the current California governor was provoked by comments Schwarzenegger made about Palin at the international summit on climate change in Copenhagen – a conference Palin not only avoided, but called on President Obama to boycott. With that, the gauntlet was thrown for...

Nelson Rejects "Compromise" on Abortion Funding in Senate Bill Washington, DC -- Senator Ben Nelson, who is quickly becoming the must-get 60th vote for Democrats to pass their pro-abortion health care bill in the Senate, is rejecting a proposed compromised aimed at attracting his vote. Sen. Bob Casey drafted the compromise, which has already been criticized by pro-life groups. http://www.lifenews.com/nat5782.html

Complete with a raft of documents and exhibits, fired AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin on Wednesday filed a motion for summary judgment in his lawsuit demanding reinstatement to his job -- his own motion not even waiting for the judge to rule on the Obama administration's motion to dismiss the case without hearing or trial. A close perusal of his motion, affidavits, and exhibits suggests to me, for the first time, that this case has potential to reach the Supreme Court regardless of how the lower court rules.... Thus we get a glimpse of the tangled web of interests and...

What is the Catholic social justice principal known as “subsidiarity�?If you’re an American and you’re unfamiliar with subsidiarity in this day and age in which the federal government is about the only segment of the economy that’s growing; you better find out in a hurry.In a nutshell, the principal of subsidiarity states that matters impacting the human person should be addressed by the smallest, least centralized, most localized, competent personal authority possible. The opposite situation is realized when personal affairs are managed by larger; more centralized and detached public authorities.At the heart of the matter lies a concern for the...

Wednesday, 12/16/09 Diario de Yucatan (Merida, Yucatan) & Excelsior (Mexico City) 12/15/09 Chinese caught en route to the U.S. Odd noises from inside a truck stopped at a highway checkpoint led to the discovery of ten Chinese being smuggled en route to the U.S.; the truck was on a highway between Cosoleacaque, Veracruz, and Nuevo Teapan, Tabasco [an area on the north end of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, near the port city of Coatzocoalcos.] The seven males and three females, all illegally in Mexico, told federal officials that they had traveled from China to Nepal to India and then to...

CHICAGOMINUTEMAN PROJECT It is both a right and a responsibility of a democratic society to manage immigration so that it serves the national interest. - Barbara Jordan   PROTEST NO TERRORISTS IN ILLINOIS WHEN: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 1:00PM.WHERE: Sterling High School - 1608 4th Avenue - Sterling, Illinois WHY: [Alleged] President Obama has decided to move the Alien Terrorists in Gauntanamo Bay to our own backyard. I called Governor Patrick Quinn's office in Springfield to inquire as to the number of public hearings scheduled for this issue. The response was, "none." Caution: The elite propaganda outlets will try to convince us that this is nothing more than...

This is a quick look at the 5 main candidates currently running for the United States Senate against Patty Murray. I say main candidates because, Wayne Glover a trucker , and Rod Rieger have created websites but neither have gained any traction. This is the race that will be at the top of the ticket in Washington and so far the GOP has struggled to come up with a credible candidate. I am currently undecided in this race, but wanted to lay out the negatives and positives of each candidate as I saw them. I will do a post in...

“I hate Sarah Palin, I… I just hate her!” That is not an uncommon outburst from some when it comes to feelings about one of the most polarizing figures (in “liberal” minds) in the political arena. As I write about the political happenings of the former governor of Alaska, I am continually amazed at both reader responses and callers to my radio program, Conscience of Kansas, when it comes to the level of hatred that Palin generates from some in the public. So, who are the real Palin-haters? Is there a common factor that binds people who find their blood...

I recently wrote (Raise the Army of Texas) that the congressional oligarchy could be broken if the states exercised their Constitutional right to send as many representatives to Congress as they are permitted by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution. Article I, Section 2 imposes a limit on representation and not a requirement. A state may send fewer representatives to Congress than it is allowed but would be foolish to do so. Congress arbitrarily imposed a stricter limit on the states in direct violation of the Constitutional limit. The result has been the concentration of great power in few...

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Ethnic groups, especially Arab-Americans, say the U.S. census all but eliminates any way of distinguishing their background by simply classifying them as white. "It's unfair because we are not treated as white in society and by the government, but we also don't qualify as minorities to get the benefits of some programs" such as minority contracts, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Regional Director Imad Hamad said. The concern arose because, for the first time, the regular 2010 U.S. census form eliminates a question asking people about their ancestry. Government officials say they shortened the form so...

Nancy Pelosi: "Thank God" Senate Bill Funds Abortions Washington, DC -- In yet another comment that will draw guffaws from pro-life advocates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is thankful to God that the Senate bill include massive abortion funding. Pelosi also claims she has enough votes to pass a pro-abortion health care bill in the House, though that is disputed. http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5781.html

Pro-Life Groups: Casey's Abortion-Health Care Compromise No Good Washington, DC -- Pro-life organizations say the so-called "compromise" that Sen. Bob Casey presented late Wednesday to Sen. Ben Nelson to get him to vote for the pro-abortion government-run health care bill is no good. The National Right to Life Committee and Family Research Council say the language keeps abortion funding in the bill. http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5780.html

Twenty senators are demanding an investigation into reports the Obama administration threatened to close Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska if that state's Democratic senator, Ben Nelson, didn't join other Democrats in voting for health-care reform. The group of 20, all Republicans, today called for a hearing in a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and the committee's top Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

...For instance, the Reid bill (in sections 3403 and 2021) explicitly empowers Medicare to deny treatment based on cost. An Independent Medicare Advisory Board created by the bill—composed of permanent, unelected and, therefore, unaccountable members—will greatly expand the rationing practices that already occur in the program. Medicare, for example, has limited cancer patients' access to Epogen, a costly but vital drug that stimulates red blood cell production. It has limited the use of virtual, and safer, colonoscopies due to cost concerns. And Medicare refuses medical claims at twice the rate of the largest private insurers. Section 6301 of the Reid...

December 16, 2009 Mr. greg happel ... Dear Friend: I appreciate you taking the time to express your interest in health care reform. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which will lower costs, guarantee affordable coverage for all Americans, improve the quality of care, and reduce our federal budget deficit. We can no longer settle for the status quo in our health system. Our current health care system leaves nearly 50 million Americans without insurance, including nearly 300,000 in Iowa. People can be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions, and...

Business as usual in Washington: So much for "Hope and Change", just control and more debt. During the first presidential debate Senator John McCain and then Senator Barack Obama argued over the earmark issue, and Obama pledged, "Absolutely, we need earmark reform. And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely." Hold your applause please; I'm just getting started!

Paul Williams explosive expose on Jamaat ul-Fuqra and Islamberg. Dr. Paul L. Williams Ph.D thelastcrusade.org Jamaat ul-Fuqra may be the best positioned group to launch an attack on the United States, or, more likely, help al-Qaeda to do so. Center for Policing Terrorism We are fighting to destroy the enemy. We are dealing with evil and its roots and its roots are America. Sheikh Mubarek Ali Gilani, Founder of Jamaat ul-Fuqra Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a terrorist organization with headquarters in Pakistan, has established over 45 compounds in rural areas throughout America. The compounds are providing paramilitary training to new recruits...

THE TRUTH FROM REAL REPORTERS WHAT GOES ON WITHIN THE RADICAL MUSLIM COMPOUND ISLAMBERG EXPOSED FINALLY NO DONATIONS REQUIRED by Michael Travis thelastcrusade.org. Many Christian groups and self-proclaimed counter-terrorism experts have written about Islamberg and the other Jamaat ul-Fuqra compounds throughout the country. But only one investigator has actually ventured into Islamberg to uncover what takes place within the 70 acre Muslim settlement that is located in upper New York State. Paul L. Williams, Ph.D., and his team of gonzo journalists not only made their way into the settlement but also snapped telling photographs. The findings of Dr. Williams...

GLENN BECK, the most listened to Talk Show Host among White House Peeps (4 out of 5 Marxists agree)! Welcome Sick Twisted Freaks! It’s a morning thread, so bring your coffee and doughnuts! FRink Phrases: “Blow your mind” “Fatty fat fatso” “Having an ADD moment” “That’s FANSTASTIC!” And of course anytime Pat does his Arlen Specter voice is cause to FRink! Feel free to FReepmail any suggestions to add to the list! ENJOY!

COPENHAGEN – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today said that the US would help create a $100 billion-a-year fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change and transition to greener technologies. The announcement at the UN climate summit could be the trigger in cinching a deal where more than 190 countries are down to the wire to sign a global climate accord by tomorrow, when the conference is scheduled to end. Developing countries are adamant a deal must include billions of dollars to help them deal with the consequences of a warmer world that wealthier countries caused from emissions...

There is much in the agenda of Left that is unpopular. It cannot survive the democratic process or honest discussion. When that agenda is stalled by the messiness of the legislative process, better to dissemble, and then use those institutions of power beyond the reach of any practical popular reaction. Better to use those institutions largely immune to public opinion and the concept of consent of the governed. As the President and his political allies well understand, it quicker and more efficient to implement an agenda through the federal courts and by bureaucratic fiat. This most recent decree of the...

I sent the following letter to each of 100 Senators this week. Thank you for reading this open letter to the Senate. Dear [Ohio] Senator [Sherrod] Brown, I am uninsured by choice and will not be insured by any individual, not by any employer, not by government, federal or otherwise. This is a personal decision and is no one’s prerogative to interfere therewith. I do not recognize the authority of the United States government to legislate personal attitudes or personal consumer purchases. My reasons for reaching this conclusion are my own and not subject to review or judgment by any...

As the Democrats in Congress approach the end of a frustrating first year's legislative effort, their leaders and the White House are being tempted by three possible shortcuts around the regular lawmaking process. Though the Democrats have a majority of 20 seats in the Senate and 79 seats in the House, now, just a week before Christmas, the speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader and the White House have failed -- so far -- to pass into law their desired legislation in the matters of 1) health care provision and financing, 2) public debt and deficit reduction, and...

What often happens when a young person receives such a charge is that he or she will appear in Court, many times without an attorney, and plead "no contest", be found guilty, and pay the fine and go home. I have seen this happen countless times in Courts. Young people, unable to afford a lawyer, take the easy way out because they don't have the money, don't want to miss work to go to Court again to fight the charge or get a better deal. Unfortunately, what these young people don't know, and what the Judge and Prosecutor failed to...

Nelson successfully tacked on an amendment to the sprawling Senate health care reform bill that would prevent cuts to Medicare Advantage plans offered in high cost areas -- particularly Florida but also New York and California.

A London court of appeals ruled Tuesday against a Christian registrar who refused to conduct a same-sex civil union ceremony because it violated her religious beliefs. Lillian Ladele claimed she suffered discrimination, including being ridiculed and bullied, while working for the Islington City Council. Ladele had worked for the council for nearly 16 years, but did not experience discrimination until after she refused to perform the gay civil union. Ladele’s attorney said she never wanted to undermine the rights of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community. But human rights laws don’t only protect members of the LGBT...

(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) told CNSNews.com that Congress has the authority to force individual Americans to buy health insurance because the U.S. Constitution “charges Congress with the health and well-being of the people.”

Without a doubt, the most important and significant legal action in the United States this wee, is Dr. Orly Taitz’s Letter to Eric Holder, sent today, demanding that he institute Quo Warranto proceedings against Barack Hussein Obama in the District Court of Washington, D.C.. The importance of this letter is the fact that the quo warranto provisions of the District of Columbia Code provide that a 3rd party may institute a quo warranto action if the U.S. Attorney General fails to respond within 3 months to a request. Dr. Orly Taitz wrote Holder on March 1st. In her letter, published...