Free Republic

Top congressional leaders agreed Thursday to a four-year extension of the anti-terrorist Patriot Act, the controversial law passed after the Sept. 11 attacks that governs the search for terrorists on American soil. The deal between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner calls for a vote before May 27, when parts of the current act expire. The idea is to pass the extension with as little debate as possible to avoid a protracted and familiar argument over the expanded power the law gives to the government. SNIP "I still have some concerns, and at this point I'm...

This past Friday, an angry, hate-filled, unruly, mostly Muslim mob of several hundred people broke through police barricades and rushed across the street toward Pastor Terry Jones while he was speaking in front of the Dearborn, Michigan City Hall. The mob was yelling and screaming, making obscene gestures, holding Korans, throwing shoes and water bottles at Pastor Jones and his supporters. Resembling riots in the Middle East, the mob waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags while hurling profanities in Arabic and English at Jones and his group of supporters. As Pastor Jones cautioned the crowd to honor and obey the Constitution,...

. . . . .NOTE:  This post will be constantly updated with more details throughout the Glenn Beck radio program.  Glenn has announced that copies of this have been delivered to JP Morgan Chase, the FBI, and the Justice Department.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvlvejSxBVQ&feature=player_embedded] "Steven Lerner, reported to have visited the White House on at least four separate occasions, formerly of SEIU and the architect of the SEIU's groundbreaking Justice for Janitors campaign.  He led the union's banking and finance campaign and has partnered with unions and groups in Europe, South American and elsewhere in campaigns to hold financial institutions accountable. As director of...

With poor Japan's nuclear reactors in crisis; with Middle East violence stripping bare American recklessness in relying on an Arab oil supply; with prices rising fast at the local gas pump, there is an almost apocalyptic tension growing in the absence of action on the American energy problem: Tons -- or, rather barrels and cubic feet -- of resources, and no will or even interest on the part of our trusted, responsible and feckless elected leaders to get it. What is their problem? What is our problem? Sarah Palin posted about this emerging crisis this week (and created a...

And sometimes a drawing is just a drawing. An eleven-year-old boy was taken from his home a couple of night ago, arrested, handcuffed, his mug shot was taken and he was jailed. Police charged the little eleven-year-old with interfering with staff and students at an Educational facility, a third degree misdemeanor an apparent trumped up charge to justify police’s Fascist intrusion into the home and the unlawful arrest and detention of a child. What did the little boy do? Months ago while sitting at his desk the little student drew a stick figure picture of a “kid” holding and firing...

It is truly disgusting for me to hear politicians, national and international talking heads and pseudo-academics praising the Middle East stirrings as democracy movements. We also hear democracy as the description of our own political system. Like the founders of our nation, I find democracy and majority rule a contemptible form of government. You say, "Whoa, Williams, you really have to explain yourself this time!"

It’s a new day in the Arab world — and, let’s hope, in American relations to the Arab world. The truth is that the United States has been behind the curve not only in Tunisia and Egypt for the last few weeks, but in the entire Middle East for decades. We supported corrupt autocrats as long as they kept oil flowing and weren’t too aggressive toward Israel. Even in the last month, we sometimes seemed as out of touch with the region’s youth as a Ben Ali or a Mubarak. Recognizing that crafting foreign policy is 1,000 times harder than...

Among pundits on the right, there has been disagreement for quite some time over the fundamental motives informing President Obama's agenda. Essentially two schools of thought on the matter have emerged. One school insists that while the president's policy prescriptions are indeed ultimately destructive, he nevertheless genuinely believes that their implementation is what's best for the country. This is the position taken by the likes of, say, Bill O'Reilly and nationally syndicated radio talk show host Michael Medved. Members of the other school are convinced that Obama is resolved to weaken America. Only a determination on his part to diminish...

Don’t look now, but Obama again sails into uncharted waters by naming Jefferey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, head of his jobs committee. Imagine, if this was announced by George W, liberals would have screamed like fat kids at diet camp. But the national response is light applause and yawns, proving once again—it’s not what is done, but who does it—that matters to leftists. Fascinatingly, such collusion between government and big business recalls Nazi fascist economics. Such blurred lines between public and private sectors is the subject of this column. I. Obama’s Agreement with General Electric & Jeff Immelt Obama...

Congratulations to Jeff Immelt - the uberhead of the soon to be former head propaganda financial station has been appointed to chair the White House's job panel.

When Austrian anti-sharia activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff stood in court November 28 to defend herself against the charge of "incitement of hatred," her alleged "crime" was to have given a seminar on the subject of Islam in Europe, during which she quoted the Koran and several prominent Islamic scholars. The case was suspended until January 18, when she will be back in court facing the possibility of receiving a sentence of up to three years in jail. In the meantime, although the Austrian media has largely refused to report the case, Mrs. Sabaditsch-Wolff has been garnering attention elsewhere for her activism....

"China Is Communist in Name Only." Wrong. If Vladimir Lenin were reincarnated in 21st-century Beijing and managed to avert his eyes from the city's glittering skyscrapers and conspicuous consumption, he would instantly recognize in the ruling Chinese Communist Party a replica of the system he designed nearly a century ago for the victors of the Bolshevik Revolution. One need only look at the party's structure to see how communist -- and Leninist -- China's political system remains. ...[F]or all their liberalization of the economy, Chinese leaders have been careful to keep control of the commanding heights of politics through the...

Pelosi says 'no regrets' on last day as speakerBy STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press Updated: Jan 04, 2011 12:34 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat Nancy Pelosi says she has no regrets on her last day as House speaker, a reign that last four years and is ending after the November elections. Pelosi said Tuesday she looks forward to leading a loyal but tenacious opposition in the House. She started by calling Republicans hypocrites for trying to repeal the new health care law, which would increase the deficit. Republican John Boehner of Ohio will be sworn in as the new speaker...

$1.6 Billion and 18,000 additional government employees for S.510, the Food Safety bill, are up for a vote in the Senate any time within the next 60 days. S.510 is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation thus far. Since 2008, the Obama administration has increased the FDA budget by 135% to an astounding $4.03 Billion and yet Senators want to add another $1.6 Billion and double the number of employees. Why? Is our government trying to institute fascist control over our nation’s food supply? You decide. “If accepted, [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own,...

Republican Co-Author of Incandescent-Bulb Ban Seeks Chair of House Energy Committee Monday, November 08, 2010 By Matt Cover Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) seeks the chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) may have some explaining to do to fellow GOP colleagues as he seeks the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, given the incoming wave of new conservatives who may not appreciate some aspects of Upton's voting record. Upton joined with Rep. Jane Harman (D.-Calif.) in 2007 to co-author the legislation that effectively banned indoor incandescent light bulbs in the...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Racism may be less of a factor in politics than other realms of life, according to a new University of Florida study, which found few white voters in Florida to be upset by the presidential candidacy of a black man, and many to be proud of it. To assess attitudes among white voters in a southern state about Barack Obama's historic election to the presidency, two UF political scientists analyzed results from four statewide telephone surveys -- each involving between 449 and 829 respondents – conducted in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009. Their study...

The president calls for a renewal of religious tolerance and a cooling of tempers as he attempts to defuse the furor over plans to build an Islamic prayer center and mosque in New York and threats to burn copies of the Koran. As a candidate, Barack Obama passionately defended the importance of religion in his life and in the nation's politics. As president, Obama on Friday called for a renewal of religious tolerance and a cooling of tempers against Muslims as he tried to defuse the furor over plans to build an Islamic prayer center and mosque in New York...

Finally, we know what President Obama’s initials stand for! He’s the Boo –HooO president! OK, that’s a little cheesy, but seriously, have we ever had a whinier leader of the free world? Most recently, and quite ungrammatically (it was not scripted into the First Teleprompter), he whined that his opponents “talk about me like a dog”. This doesn’t even make much sense, but is consistent with the woe-is-me tone of this president, who has complained about attacks from the right and the left, and couched nearly every major address with an extreme whine about taking over the White House during...

“Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process” Senate Judiciary Committee Full Committee DATE: September 14, 2010 TIME: 10:00 AM ROOM: Dirksen-226 OFFICIAL HEARING NOTICE / WITNESS LIST: September 7, 2010 NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled "Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process" for Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. By order of the Chairman.

“i beseech you, in the bowels of christ, think it possible you may be mistaken” … oliver cromwell,” uttering these famous words in 1650 urging the general assembly of the church of scotland to reconsider their alliance with charles ii, who sought thereby to reestablish his line upon the thrown of england. and, so i say to glenn beck. in the matter of your labeling geert wilders a contemporary european fascist, I beseech you, pray consider that you are wrong. please, glenn, give it another think through. your assessment of wilders stands as an impediment to the full & complete...