Free Republic

In this world, those who can lead generally do, by default. Those who can’t lead usually follow, also by default. Those incapable of either become Democrats today… The operative words for all modern DNC initiatives are “dissent”, “disorder” and “obstruct”. That’s why their new party leader is the king of dissent Howard Dean. The more outrageous and obnoxious ones screams of dissent, the better their chances for a leadership roll in today’s DNC. The party has chosen to define itself by the 10% in America who don’t like anything about America, those who see America as the evil empire, capitalism...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects some 400,000 Americans and is the most common neurological disorder diagnosed in young adults. MS affects eyesight, mobility, bladder and bowel control, and causes chronic pain and dizziness. A quarter of those diagnosed with MS may actually have a benign form, meaning they won't have any symptoms for at least 10 years. Currently, however, there is no method of determining who has this benign form. The result: Many people, diagnosed with MS, are taking medication they don't yet need, with all the attendant side-effects, as well as suffering from excessive anxiety. There is also no way...

Sacramento -- San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno introduced legislation to legalize same-sex marriage Monday, opening another front in the debate -- nationwide and within the Democratic Party -- over how far to extend gay rights. Five weeks after voters in 11 states adopted constitutional amendments defining marriage as solely between a man and woman, Leno is convinced that a majority of Californians favor bucking that trend. There is opposition to the idea among moderate Democrats, however, and a counter to Leno's push was also introduced Monday, the first day of the legislative session. Two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that...

San Bernardino, CA, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The Pacifica Lutheran Synod has revoked a San Bernardino, Calif, mission's congregational status because its pastor is in a committed lesbian relationship. The decision to remove the Central City Lutheran Mission, an urban ministry that serves poor and homeless people, of its official recognition is the harshest punishment of a Lutheran congregation with a gay pastor in more than a decade. (snip) "This is the first time in 14 years that any congregation or any pastor has been dealt with this harshly. We thought those days were over," said Pastor David Kalke, who...

BOSTON -- State Sen. Jarrett Barrios, who made an impassioned personal plea for gay marriage during last spring's legislative debate, has exchanged vows with his longtime partner, Doug Hattaway, a former spokesman for Vice President Al Gore. The couple of 10 years married Saturday at First Parish Church in Cambridge, in a wedding attended by an array of state and city officials. Gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts May 17 under a court decision issued last November. In February, during a marathon legislative debate about whether to seek a ban on gay marriage in Massachusetts, Barrios spoke of the barriers...

Look Inside Kerry's Mind and You Find a "False Personality" Written by Joan Swirsky Wednesday, October 20, 2004 There's a term to explain why the clearly haughty and self-important John Kerry repeatedly calls George Bush "arrogant." In psychology, it’s called projection: attributing to others what, in fact, perfectly describes the person hurling the insult. Similarly, there’s a term to explain why Kerry, a lifelong pacifist after his four-month foray in Vietnam, is now trying to convince the public that he would fight the war against terrorism more effectively than President Bush. It’s called self-delusion. Another term explains why Kerry has...

Terrorism As DisorderFrom The Command Post National Guardsman accused of Espionage 10:56 AM EDT | Posted By Alan E Brain >> Go here to visit Alan E Brain's weblog. From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) : Ryan Anderson, a Muslim convert serving in the US National Guard, is charged with trying to pass information to the Al Qaeda movement. The prosecution believes this included details about the vulnerability of some American military vehicles and ways of attacking them. A defence lawyer has argued that his client had been suffering from a mental disorder Well someone else gets it...

Australia irate over gay couple in kids' show by AFP Sydney - Australia's conservative government hit out at the national broadcaster on Thursday for portraying a lesbian couple on a popular television show for pre-school children. The show Play School aired on Monday by the publicly-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) showed a story about a girl going to a fair with her two mothers "I'm Brenna. That's me in the blue. My mums are taking me and my friend Meryn to an amusement park," the little girl says over images of her two mothers smiling and waving. The show aired...

Curing Chronic Illness Can Be Used To Destroy Either Political Party Ladies and Gentlemen: I present to you the world's longest running, and greatest, medical blunder, the cures for incurable diseases, and the Second Coming of Christ. There are 120 million American's with chronic illness. In 1997, researchers at Yale University were studying the clustering of autoimmune disorders in 84 families with Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APLA). They stated then that if they knew what caused APLA they would know a lot more about many of the other chronic illnesses. At the same time, I was searching the Internet for information...

What is it with so many children today? Sullen and surly, they ignore their elders and live to be with their peers. Two Vancouver specialists have a theory, but grownups won't like it, ALANNA MITCHELL reports. They believe the parental bond is being broken, with harrowing results The two boys are wearing identical outfits -- baggy, chemically faded jeans, oversized winter coats and immaculate white runners, laces untied and tongues jutting up over the cuffs of their pants. The two girls have a more revealing uniform: ultra-skinny jeans and puffy coats that skim the waist, one in brilliant white with...

"The Knot That Can't Be Tied"Secular, Natural and Sacramental Marriageby Mark Lowery, Ph.D.Man's sexual energies are of extraordinary power and complexity. Is this energy something we can use however we wish, or is there some objective standard to which this energy should be conformed? The Western tradition, like many other traditions, has consistently held that there is such an objective standard, and it is the reality called "marriage." Today, however, many think that marriage can be whatever they want it to be. Instead of seeing marriage as an objective reality to which we align ourselves, it is seen as something...

Web surfing could get 'disorder' classification P. Douglas Filaroski Excessive Internet use that harms personal relationships or affects work performance could be classified as a new psychiatric disorder that could effect businesses, researchers at University of Florida said. In the journal "Depression and Anxiety," UF psychiatrists propose criteria for establishing a disorder marked by extreme Web surfing, e-mailing or other online time. In separate studies, researchers found people who spent more than 30 hours a week online, divorced from spouses and fired from jobs as a result of distractions. Diagnosis and treatment could have implications for individuals and also for...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A controversial new Vatican (news - web sites) glossary of sexual terms says homosexuals are not normal and that countries which allow gay marriages are inhabited by people with "profoundly disordered minds." Italy's gay community immediately condemned the glossary of nearly 900 pages, which hit the bookstores on Monday, as part of what they called a new anti-homosexual crusade. The glossary, prepared by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family, covers themes such as sexuality, condoms, abortion, birth control and genetic manipulation. A section on "Homosexuality and Homophobia" says homosexuality stems from an "unresolved psychological conflict."...

A 10-year study by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) scientists has found that brains of children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are 3-4 percent smaller than those of children who don't have the disorder – and that medication treatment is not the cause. Indeed, in this first major study to scan previously never-medicated patients, they found "strikingly smaller" white matter volumes in children who had not taken stimulant drugs. Still, the course of brain development in the ADHD patients paralleled that of normal subjects, suggesting that whatever caused the disorder happened earlier. Drs. Xavier Castellanos, Judith...

***MEDIA ALERT*** Thomas More Law Center to appear TONIGHT on The O'Reilly Factor on the FOX News Channel! Thomas More Law Center attorney Robert Muise and Ann Arbor public school student Betsy Hansen will appear TONIGHT on The O'Reilly Factor on the FOX News Channel, the #1 primetime program on cable news. They will discuss the recent lawsuit brought by the TMLC on behalf of the Christian student, challenging the Ann Arbor high school's pro-homosexual "Diversity Week". School officials prevented Betsy from expressing her traditional Christian belief regarding homosexual activity claiming that this was a "negative" message and would "water...

Devout Catholics show symptoms of compulsive disorder A new study claims devout Catholics are more likely to show symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It compared nuns and priests with committed lay Catholics and others with virtually no religious involvement. Volunteers were asked to list symptoms like intrusive mental images and worries. Researchers from the University of Parma in Italy found the more devout Catholics reported the more severe symptoms. But they admit the study doesn't prove religious devotion in early life causes symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Claudio Sica and his team say it's equally likely people with those character traits feel...