Free Republic

Following a crescendo of terrifying violence, the Ukrainian uprising has had a surprisingly positive outcome. Contrary to all rational expectations, a group of citizens armed with not much more than sticks and shields made of cardboard boxes and metal garbage-can lids overwhelmed a police force firing live ammunition. There were many casualties, but the citizens prevailed. This was one of those historic moments that leave a lasting imprint on a society's collective memory. [...] I established the Renaissance Foundation in Ukraine in 1990 – before the country achieved independence. The foundation did not participate in the recent uprising, but it...

(Vatican Radio) The Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has made a heartfelt appeal to European Nations for solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday at Vatican Radio, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk denounced the fact that the cry of the Maidan protesters went largely unheard and ignored until the explosion of violence last week that left some 100 people dead, and thousands more injured. listen... He said that Ukraine is now living through a dark time because nobody knows how the situation is going to evolve… But he also...

2014 Ukrainian Popular Revolt "Vladimir, they aren't coming back" BACKGROUND: The Urkaine was a part of the Soviet UNion, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), under communist rule and domination for decades. The Ukraine is recognized for its significant agricultural production capabilities, and also for its strong manufacturing capabilities, particularly in the industrial equipment, aircraft, and ship building sectors. The Crimea, in southeast Ukraine, and home to many ehtnic Russian people, had long been a vacation place for many of the elite within the old Soviet Union. To this day, the Rusian federation maintains a strong Naval BAse...

Barack Obama doesn’t just have a pen and a telephone, he’s got a hammer and sickle too. The battle lines of the promised Marxist Revolution are being perfected as we go about our daily lives, and Obama’s hammer and sickle will drop on the Western world now that it’s 2014. Obama’s ‘Fundamental Transformation of America’ is only Stage 1 of a breathtaking world takeover plan. Obama and the fomenting-for-revolution Marxists won’t wait until 2016 to deliver their ‘New Socialist USA’. This is just for openers: Emboldened by Barack Obama’s twice-repeated reminder “I have a pen and a telephone” to bypass...

It's here. Kristallnacht, literally, "Night of Crystal," is often referred to as the "Night of Broken Glass." The name refers to the wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms which took place on November 9 and 10, 1938, throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and in areas of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia recently occupied by German troops. Instigated primarily by Nazi Party officials and members of the SA (Sturmabteilungen: literally Assault Detachments, but commonly known as Storm Troopers) and Hitler Youth, Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass that lined German streets in the wake of the pogrom—broken glass from the...

Turkey's purge of the judiciary and police has brought a corruption investigation shaking the government to a grinding halt and could undermine confidence in state institutions, senior legal figures and the opposition said on Wednesday. Ninety-six judges and prosecutors were reassigned overnight, the biggest purge of the judiciary since a graft scandal erupted on December 17 with the arrest of businessmen close to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and three ministers' sons. Erdogan has portrayed the corruption inquiry as an attempted "judicial coup" orchestrated by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose network of sympathizers, known locally as "Cemaat" (religious community), hold considerable...

Since Barack Obama has been in the White House, high ranking military officers have been removed from their positions at a rate that is absolutely unprecedented. Things have gotten so bad that a number of retired generals are publicly speaking out about the “purge” of the U.S. military that they believe is taking place. As you will see below, dozens of highly decorated military leaders have been dismissed from their positions over the past few years. So why is this happening? When I was growing up, my father was an officer in the U.S. Navy. And what is going on...

President Barack Obama announced Friday that John Podesta, his new "counselor" and the political operative responsible for creating the institutional left in Washington, will be the appointed "to lead a comprehensive review of big data and privacy" in the aftermath of revelations about the National Security Agency's electronic spying programs. When he joined the White House last month, Podesta's focus was said to be "climate change." The president's speech contained little news. It was a classic Obama set-piece, designed to demonstrate that he understands both sides of a complex argument, while delegating

It’s okay, the 1 percent only pays 41 percent of California’s income taxes. And half the state pays no income tax at all. No one will even notice they’re gone. Prop. 30, approved by voters in November 2012, raised state income taxes retroactively to Jan. 1, 2012, on singles making more than $250,000 and married couples making $500,000. It raised rates by one, two or three percentage points through 2018, bringing the top rate on incomes above $1 million to 13.3 percent, the highest in the nation. Bryan Goldberg, who founded the Bleacher Report sports website and sold it to...

37 nuclear missile launch officers are now being investigated under drug suspicions, according to Fox

President Barack Obama predicts Congress will be busy this year debating a renewal of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and an immigration overhaul. But he says he wants his Cabinet also to focus on executive actions that don’t require legislation. “We are not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we are providing Americans the kind of help that they need. I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone,” Obama said. Obama continued: ”And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move...

President Barack Obama sent a message to Congress Tuesday: He plans to use his power whenever he can to move his agenda forward. "We are not just going to be waiting for a legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help that they need," Obama said before a Cabinet meeting. "I've got a pen and I’ve got a phone -- and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward." Obama said he told members of his Cabinet the need to use...

MARK LEVIN: We are witnessing a gradual, quiet COUP! Posted on Jan 14, 2014 at 6:57 PM Mark Levin opened his show today livid over Obama’s announcement that he will ignore the legislature and use his pen to write executive orders. He says the separation of powers are the key to our Republic and yet today Obama just announced that he would assume lawmaking powers via executive orders. Mark Levin says what’s going on here is that we are witnessing a gradual, quiet coup: He’s just announced that he is going to assume lawmaking powers. He does not recognize the...

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner says he believes Chris Christie remains a serious contender for the Republican 2016 presidential nomination, despite the traffic jam scandal engulfing the New Jersey governor. Reporters asked Boehner about Christie's problems on Thursday, even as the governor was holding a news conference in Trenton, N.J.

Put me down in the Roger Simon camp on this one: without wandering into Birther territory or the inconclusive musings of Jerome Corsi… who the heck is this guy, really? To put it bluntly: nobody knows nothin’ about the president of the United States, aka the leader of the free world. And what little we do know is highly uninformative and often contradictory.

This is a week old, but I hadn't seen this before. It's an interesting view from a gay man. GLAAD has way over stepped their bounds.

South Sudan: Khartoum’s Aid to Reik Machar’s Tribal ViolenceBy South Sudan News StaffJuba — December 24 … During the weekend of 20-22 December, the Republic of South Sudan underwent a political crisis, an attempted coup and emerged to the next phase of putting down what's become known as the Machar Revolt. The African think-tank, The Fashoda Institute, has published a current analysis of the South Sudan’s crisis. “Juba entered the weekend having lost control over most of Jonglei State. However, this loss of control was the result of an uneasy cease-fire and tenuous cooperation between the predominantly Nuer ex-SPLA forces...

South Sudan’s fugitive vice-president has denied mounting a coup after three days of fighting in the capital of the world’s newest countryclaimed at least 400 lives. Riek Machar, who was formally sacked as vice-president in July, said the clashes were caused by a “misunderstanding” and no attempt had been made to overthrow President Salva Kiir. The clashes began on Sunday night when military bases in the capital, Juba, were attacked. On Monday, Mr Kiir appeared in military uniform and said that his government had foiled a coup. The president has been locked in a power struggle with Mr Machar, reflecting...

President Kiir Declares Curfew In Juba As Attempted Coup FailsBy Joe Odaby South Sudan NewsJuba — December 16 … The President of the Republic of South Sudan H.E Salva Kiir Mayardit has imposed a curfew over Juba following heavy gunfire that started early Saturday, December 15, in the city and its suburbs. The situation though is under control; sporadic gunfire still continues to be heard in some parts of the capital. The curfew, the President says takes immediate effect. In a press briefing in the early hours of the day, President Kiir called for calm among the citizens while assuring...

It's "very likely" that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle, Jang Sung-taek, has been removed from his top-level position in government, two South Korean lawmakers said Tuesday, citing a briefing from their county's intelligence service. And two close allies of Jang -- Lee Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kee -- have been publicly executed, one of the South Korean lawmakers said at a news conference.