Free Republic

Cautionary tale: When socialism is instituted democratically, it’s a good indication that your days of making decisions democratically may be numbered With Venezuela spinning out of control, it’s said that U.S. officials fear a military coup. We ought to ask “Why?” Democracy on the brain can be a dangerous condition. George W. Bush pursued his unwise “nation-building” policies under the assumption that, as he put it, “democracies don’t go to war with each other.” (Note: technically we’re speaking of “republics,” not democracies.) So WWI was the “war to end all wars,” and now there’s the political system to end all...

WHAT TRUMP "GETS" Of the 16 “establishment” candidates the non-politician businessman Mr. Trump defeated to become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee of 2016, he, more than any of his former rivals, seems unabashedly patriotic, a man who appreciates, takes pride in, and feels deeply about America’s illustrious (and complicated) history. That history includes: The Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783, in which just a few brave souls broke from England in their successful quest for independence and freedom. The Industrial Revolution from about 1760 to about 1840, which radically transformed America from primarily an agrarian culture to one driven by...

Iranian lawmakers are moving closer to approving a lawsuit against the United States to seek compensation for damage inflicted by Washington’s “hostile moves over the past 63 years”. On Wednesday, 181 of the 290 Iranian lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would pave the way for the government to take legal action against the U.S. in an international court for actins dating back to the 1953 coup in Iran. The move comes just a few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that nearly $2 billion of Iran’s frozen assets be given to American families of the victims...

At the moment, the armed forces’ position vis-à-vis the government is not clear. Some speculate that the Bolivarian National Guard is divided. Others claim that the regime exerts full control over the Bolivarian National Guard’s members. The only certainty is that uncertainty abounds. The PanAm Post had the opportunity to interview a Bolivarian National Guard member of middle rank, who asked to remain anonymous since his views could expose him to danger. Why has the state launched an offensive against criminal groups? The situation was getting out of hand for political reasons. The state has no means to control criminal...

The situation in Turkey is bad and getting worse. It’s not just the deterioration in security amidst a wave of terrorism. Public debt might be stable, but private debt is out of control, the tourism sector is in free-fall and the decline in the currency has impacted every citizen’s buying power. There is a broad sense, election results notwithstanding, that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is out of control. He is imprisoning opponents, seizing newspapers left and right and building palaces at the rate of a mad sultan or aspiring caliph. In recent weeks, he has once again threatened to dissolve...

Full Title: Game Change: Jeff Sessions Endorses Trump from Stage in Alabama; Stunning Event Unites Populist, Nationalist Movement MADISON, Alabama -- 2016 GOP presidential frontrunner billionaire Donald Trump will pick up the most significant endorsement any presidential candidate in the GOP can get here on Sunday: Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Sessions, the intellectual leader of the future of the conservative movement, has provided the brainpower behind the populist nationalist revolt against political elites that's been emerging since at least 2013. At a warm and windy rally here with thousands present in a packed football stadium just outside Huntsville, Sessions will...

The international community were outraged when the tubby tyrant gave his fourth nuclear test the green light - going against the United Nations. And it appears the anger is starting to filter through to his own ranks. It is alleged that the notoriously harsh leader could be overthrown by senior members amongst his military if he fails to reel in his spending and whip North Korea's unstable economy into shape. The news will serve a devastating blow after Jong-un made clear his intentions to overthrow the US in the space race and invest heavily in new satellites. Speaking during a...

"They would rather Hillary Clinton, they would rather bankrupt our kids and grandkids, they'd rather lose the Supreme Court for a generation, they'd rather see our religious liberties stripped away, our Second Amendment taken away, they would rather see Islamic terrorism continue to rise and Israel continue to be under assault than actually have a true Reagan conservative in the White House who believes what he says. That shows just how messed up Washington is, but it also shows why frustration is volcanic."...

A hard-line, lunatic socialist fringe group, estimated at 535 members, today seized control of and occupied the U.S. Capitol. The group, largely consisting of lifelong, documented larcenists and moochers, claimed to be the legitimate, constitutionally empowered representatives of the American people. The group occupied and seized control of the Capitol largely unnoticed and without a struggle. The group added emphatically that its claim to power “was permanent and absolute, and that any attempts to resist the takeover would be futile and met with blunt force.” They stated that as far they could tell, however, “Nobody seemed to much care or...

Obama's abuse of government to target his opponents began before he was elected. Remember this from 2008? "Prosecutors and sheriffs from across Missouri are joining something called the Barack Obama Truth Squad. [] They will be reminding voters that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year" http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=369_1222427745&comments=1 Prosecutors and sheriffs using the power of their office to get a person elected... that smacks of coup d'etat. Is it any surprise that the IRS was used to attack Obama's enemies? Like the Truth Squads, no one has been prosecuted. Is...

Having made it no secret he seeks to transform Turkey so he can wield absolute authority with no checks and balances, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has allegedly begun the final push to implement a 'palace coup' and wrest control of the Turkish government from its parliament. Final pieces in place for Erdogan's alleged coup to take over Turkish government Having made it no secret his intention to transform Turkey so he can wield absolute authority with no checks and balances, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has allegedly begun the final push to implement a "palace coup" and wrest control of the...

President Obama says the U.S. and the world’s largest Muslim country will merge their economies under an agreement whose terms have not been disclosed to Congress or the public. After Obama met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House Monday, Widodo said, “Indonesia intends to join the TPP,” referring to the TransPacific Partnership. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world with 250 million people. Obama attended elementary school in the country. “I have a very personal interest in Indonesia given the fact that I spent time there as a child and have relatives who are...

Matt Lauer pushes a rewrite of history with the movie "Truth".  On the Today Show, at about 08:44 central time, Lauer gave discredited Dan Rather the opportunity to rewrite history.   Lauer shamelessly promots the movie based on the book written by Mary Mapes, who uncritically accepted the fraud that advanced the narrative she was promoting. Rather made the outrageous claim that the story that he promoted to stop President George Bush's re-election bid was "true".   It echoes his response at the time that the fraudulent documents that he used in his attempt to discredit President "Dubya" Bush were...

President Obama and his administration continue to support the global Islamist militant group known the Muslim Brotherhood. A White House strategy document regards the group as a moderate alternative to more violent Islamist groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The policy of backing the Muslim Brotherhood is outlined in a secret directive called Presidential Study Directive-11, or PSD-11. The directive was produced in 2011 and outlines administration support for political reform in the Middle East and North Africa, according to officials familiar with the classified study. Efforts to force the administration to release the directive or portions of...

Washington (CNN)Donald Trump said Saturday that bringing Syrian refugees to the U.S. could result in "one of the great military coups of all time." "This could be one of the great military coups of all time if they send them to our country -- young, strong people and they turn out to be ISIS," he told Fox News' Eric Bolling. "Now, probably that won't happen, but some of them definitely in my opinion will be ISIS." Trump said later Saturday that bringing in more refugees could have long-term effects. "This could be the ultimate Trojan horse. This one could be...

“It is best for the country for King Salman to step down as well. We cannot take sick people in top leadership,” the grandson of Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, the state’s founder, told Britain's The Times daily. He also said that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman would "have to be punished and thrown out.”

Pope Francis came to America this past week with great fanfare. Thousands lined up for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see and get near him. I have written on this Pope previously and my firm belief is that he is a Marxist. With all that I have seen and documented, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the case. The Pope embodies all the sought for goals of the Left and he delivers them wrapped in religion and piety. The Pope has blamed the evils of this world on capitalism and greed. He has used that as a...

One thing that that has puzzled a lot of people since the selection of Pope Francis two years ago is how a left-leaning Pope could succeed two very serious conservative Popes—John Paul II and Benedict XVI—who you would have thought had stacked the ranks of the Cardinals with clergy that would perpetuate their theological and philosophical outlook. Was Benedict hounded out of office by some kind of internal Vatican scandal perhaps? Was there some ecclesiastical version of a coup?There’s no evidence that I’m aware of—until now. Three days ago the National Catholic Register ran a very curious article about...

"STUNNING ADMISSION: Hyper-Progressive Cardinal Danneels Admits Being in Mafia Dedicated to Unseat PBXVI" Pride goeth before the fall. The modernists are apparently feeling very powerful and secure, because they are starting to open their mouths and crow about both their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI, dropping hints they played a role in his abdication, as well as quite possibly illicitly organizing to elect Pope Francis. Further serious concerns are being raised about Cardinal Godfried Danneels, one of the papal delegates chosen to attend the upcoming Ordinary Synod on the Family, after the archbishop emeritus of Brussels confessed this week to...

Soldiers from Burkina Faso's powerful presidential guard interrupted a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and detained the ministers, the prime minister and interim President Michel Kafando, military sources said. The move came two days after a commission charged with drafting reforms for Burkina Faso's transitional government proposed dismantling the elite unit. The presidential guard, known as the RSP, was a key pillar of President Blaise Compaore's regime before he was toppled by demonstrations in October after 27 years in power. "It is the whole of the government, including the prime minister and the president, taken by a group of soldiers from...