Free Republic

"I say it's high time we update the wording of the presidential oath of office, which is specified in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution." "Update it?" "That's right. Our current president isn't following it much anyhow, so why don't you recite it from the top so we can get to work?" "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." "'I,' you say? Since some want our country to be more...

It takes courage to speak out against the threatening presence of Islam in todayÂ’s world. And it takes courage to defend those who have the courage to speak out.Eight years ago, after Benedict XVI gave his controversial Regensburg address, most European commentators were shamefully timid in their response. Most refused to raise their heads above the parapet, preferring the cowardÂ’s option of not making any response at all. In the light of this continuing cowardly silence, it is timely to remind ourselves of the ugly face of Islamic fundamentalism.At the darkened heart of radical Islam is what Bishop Nazir-Ali,...

Dear Mr. President, I write to you today as a concerned citizen of our great nation, standing as a witness against your historic actions on the morning of July 21, 2014, actions which I hope you will one day repudiate with deep remorse and regret. I am referring, of course, to your signing an executive order Monday banning “discrimination” by federal contractors against LGBT people, allowing for no religious exemptions of any kind. This was an outrageous act of discrimination against religion in the name of anti-discrimination, an act of bullying people of faith in the name of the prevention...

Less than an hour after an appeals court in Washington ordered the Obama administration to turn off the spigot of federal subsidies to consumers through U.S.-run health-care exchanges, an appeals court in Virginia ruled that the subsidies should be allowed to keep on flowing. With the future of Obamacare hanging in the balance, the back-to-back opinions raise the likelihood of another Supreme Court showdown over the the president’s marquee law. The two circuits split over an issue fundamental to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. That is, whether the Internal Revenue Service had the authority under the statute passed...

Well, this is awkward.Unlike the D.C. Circuit, which split 2-1, the majority here was 3-0. Even so, the most noteworthy thing about the opinion is how tormented the court seems in trying to determine what Congress intended when it said that subsidies should be available only on “an exchange established by the State.” From page 20:Page 24:Page 28:If they can’t decide what the key phrase was designed to do, why don’t they follow the D.C. Circuit’s lead and stick with the plain text? In the first excerpt above, the court frankly admits that the language of the law seems...

Lobbyists on both sides of the aisle may not agree more on an issue than the need for amnesty legislation. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told La Raza's annual conference that they should "get louder" to fight "lobbyists" to get amnesty legislation. Claiming that comprehensive amnesty legislation would also "stabilize" America's Social Security system, Warren told the crowd in Los Angeles on Sunday evening that they needed to "get louder together" pushing for amnesty, because "it is the responsibility of Americans to push on this." "Be stronger than the lobbyists," she declared. "We have to do this." Though Warren has...

A federal appeals court on Tuesday dealt a setback to the Affordable Care Act, ruling that premium subsidies provided through the federal health exchange in 36 states are invalid under the writing of the law.Here's the practical effect of the ruling, if it withstands the rest of the legal process: More than 5 million, generally low-income Americans who received tax credits through the federal exchange to purchase health insurance would see their premiums explode.Avalere Health, an independent healthcare firm, released an analysis last week showing that individuals who received premium subsidies for health insurance would see a premium hike of about...

The existence of gay Republicans is hardly a new phenomenon. The Log Cabin Republicans, an organization for gay men and women within the party, was founded back in 1977 in California. But every so often, the existence of gay conservatives gets media attention, particularly during election cycles. In more recent years, gay conservatives have been getting more attention as the Republican Party struggles with its identity. American opinion has shifted significantly to support top issues among gays and lesbians, particularly in support of marriage recognition. Support for gay marriage among evangelical Christians has doubled over the past decade, according to...

Washington (CNN) -- The battle over Obamacare took a dramatic turn Tuesday with a federal appeals court rejecting subsidies paid by the government to millions of new enrollees. In a 2-1 ruling, a three-judge panel found the federal money that helped people afford health insurance only could go to those who signed up through exchanges run by states.

President Obama’s old Harvard Law professor, Laurence Tribe, said that he “wouldn’t bet the family farm” on Obamacare’s surviving the legal challenges to an IRS rule about who is eligible for subsidies that are currently working their way through the federal courts. “I don’t have a crystal ball,” Tribe told the Fiscal Times. “But I wouldn’t bet the family farm on this coming out in a way that preserves Obamacare.”

U.S. Rep. David Jolly said Monday he supports the recent decision striking down a Florida gay marriage ban. A Republican, Jolly said that while he believes in traditional marriage because of his Christian faith, he also thinks government should support gay marriage. In an interview with partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, Jolly (R-Indian Shores) described himself as "a 41-year-old less-government conservative," and said same-sex marriage is "an issue of less government and personal liberty." During a Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9 televised campaign debate earlier this year, Jolly was asked about the issue and said, "I believe God saw...

Earlier this month, the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act was celebrated. During the act’s legislative debate, then-Sen. Hubert Humphrey, responding to predictions, promised, “I’ll eat my hat if this leads to racial quotas.” I don’t know whether Humphrey got around to keeping his promise, but here’s my question: Is it within the capacity of black Americans to make it in this society without the special favors variously called racial preferences, quotas, affirmative action and race-sensitive policies? What might a “yes” answer to that question assume and imply about blacks? Likewise, what would a “no” answer assume and imply?...

On Monday, DREAMers stormed the halls of Congress to stage a "GOP funeral" in front of the offices of Republican senators, some of whom have expressed concerns that President Barack Obama's unilateral grants of temporary amnesty have caused the current border crisis. Pro-amnesty activists from United We Dream dressed in black and marched around with a mock casket that had these words emblazoned on it: "RIP GOP." They held flowers and started chanting and singing, "We shall overcome." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has said Obama should not award temporary amnesty to DREAMers in the future because the Deferred Action for...

Australia’s repeal of its carbon tax last week has gotten other countries thinking about ditching their own carbon dioxide emissions reduction schemes. On the heels of the Aussie carbon tax defeat, South Korea’s finance minister, Choi Kyung-hwan, called his country’s planned cap-and-trade system “flawed in many ways,” and hinted that he would pressure the government to delay the plan until 2015. Businesses say the cap-and-trade system could cost them up to $28.9 billion in three years unless the program is delayed until 2020. Reuters reports that South Korea’s emissions trading program has already been delayed twice since 2013. The system...

On July 21 Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America founder Shannon Watts tweeted that Virginia's congressional candidate Mike Dickinson is her group's "next target." This was in response to a July 20 tweet in which Dickinson, a self-described "left wing liberal," wrote: "People generally don't want to die. I own a gun and if I'm touched I'm shooting."

After serving on the Daviess County Republican Party's leadership team for almost three years, Owensboro native Barbara Knott had enough. She resigned on July 10 and the reason was simple; Knott cannot support Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell this fall. "I have resigned from the executive committee of the Republican Party because I will not support Mitch McConnell," Knott, chair of the Owensboro Tea Party, said in a telephone interview. "I have a big 4x8 sign in my front yard that says ‘Retire Mitch.’ It’s going to stay there through the election. I will not vote for that man." Knott...

A federal judge said Monday that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) cannot challenge the Obamacare policy that lawmakers and their staff obtain health insurance through the exchanges. The ruling could prove ominous for House Republicans as they prepare to file suit against the Obama administration, also against Obamacare. That suit would focus on a different issue, the president’s delay of the employer mandate. Judge William C. Griesbach, a George W. Bush appointee, said that Article III of the Constitution prevents Johnson’s lawsuit from moving forward and suggests that any remedy must come from Congress. He said that the Wisconsin Republican cannot...

It’s Bob Dole vs. the home-school lobby, round two. This marks the second time the former senator will square off against Mike Farris, president of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, on the same issue: an international treaty on rights for people with disabilities. Farris mounted a public campaign against the treaty when the Senate took it up in 2012, fanning concerns among prominent conservatives like Rick Santorum and the Heritage Foundation that it could infringe on the rights of parents whose children have disabilities, threaten states’ rights and become a legal tool for pro-choice advocates pushing against restrictive abortion laws....

Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling for abolishing partisan primaries, saying the current system engenders unhealthy political polarization. “The partisan primary system, which favors more ideologically pure candidates, has contributed to the election of more extreme officeholders and increased political polarization,” the New York Democrat wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Monday evening. “It has become a menace to governing.” Schumer said that partisan primaries embolden “the 10 percent at each of the two extremes of the political spectrum” and pointed to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s surprise loss to Dave Brat, a political novice who ran to the...

Hours before Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced he would send National Guard troops to the border, Texas state Senator Dan Patrick said there are at least 100,000 illegal immigrant gang members in the state. On Monday's The Laura Ingraham Show, Patrick, who is also the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, said from 2008 to 2012, 143,000 illegal immigrant criminals were arrested and jailed in Texas. He said these were "hardened criminals, gang members, and other criminals that we identified as being in Texas illegally." "We charged them with 447,000 crimes, a half-million crimes in four years, just in Texas, including...