Free Republic

Politics: Pundits hope a Romney/Ryan presidential ticket will spark a much needed, serious and sober discussion about big issues. Don't bet on it. These days Democrats want only to scare voters, not enlighten them. [snip] There's no question that a sober discussion about the proper size and scope of government would be welcome. And Ryan has proved himself more than capable of engaging in such a dialogue. But don't expect anything even remotely resembling that from today's Democrats. The party of FDR these days is only interested in one thing: spreading fear.

Video: Courageous cat scares off scaredy-cat bear In a battle between a big, black bear and your average house cat, who would win? In the case of one fearless feline, the answer is not what you'd think. Petsami, an online animal entertainment network from the creators of America's Funniest Home Videos, posted this hilarious YouTube clip of a massive black bear being chased off by a courageous cat. The hapless bear is just doing what bears do, lumbering about and sniffing stuff, when out of nowhere appears a black and white cat. The bear is clearly shocked, and beats a...

I am 25 years old. That is pretty young, in the grand scheme of things. Still, I am an adult--I am married, I am a voter, I am a taxpayer...in short, I am a grown up. But the recent news stories have reduced me to a cowering five-year-old, wanting to hide in my father's lap. But, I am a grown up now, and there is nobody's lap to hide in. Watching the news stories, I keep thinking of my history classes. I remember being shocked at some of the things that happened in history, being offended by them, being glad...

‘Fear of the Future’ Keeps Lid on Economic Growth: Greenspan ECONOMY, INFLATION, EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, MANUFACTURING, CPI, CONSUMER PRICE INDEX, JOBLESS CLAIMS Posted By: Jeff Cox | CNBC.com Senior Writer CNBC.com | 01 Jun 2012 | 07:39 AM ET Investors could revolt at a moment's notice against high government deficit levels, jeopardizing chances at a recovery and potentially sending interest rates soaring, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told CNBC. The former central bank leader — nicknamed "The Maestro" by his supporters — said he worries the current economy could be heading on a path similar to 1979, when the 10-year...

A friend who is a long-suffering teacher at a Massachusetts public school called to let me know that the state's schools remain proudly moronic and bigoted. She notes that when one tries to open Free Republic on any school computer, they get a message warning them that the site is blocked for being unsuitable for viewing. However, Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, Huffington Post, Obama for Re-election, and other "balanced" sites can be opened at the click of a few keys. My friend mentors a club at her school. She says the kids are bright and inquisitive but filled with total...

Barack Obama once wanted to "Win the Future." Now he's just hoping to get there. "Forward" is the new message of his re-election campaign, which he outlined Saturday in the first two official speeches of his 2012 presidential campaign. While his message still contains the old slogan's optimism of a brighter tomorrow, the force of the president's new argument is not so much that Americans could achieve greatness but that they must lock arms to keep Mitt Romney from dragging the country back to a dark past. Hope and change are still alive, said the president, referring to his 2008...

Conservatives laugh at sheep and useful idiots. We laughed at Democrats when their "Anybody but Bush" got them Kerry. They thought that "Anybody but" works. It doesn't. The electorate needs something to vote FOR and not against. It's called "inspiration" and "something to believe in". Fear is not a belief. It is an unbridled emotion that clouds judgment and has been on full display lately. Romney is not yet the nominee but some believe it is a done deal. The controllers, the RNC and the MSM, want you to believe that. It flies in the face of everything we know....

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The fear trade picked up steam Tuesday, as investors grew increasingly worried about Europe's fiscal health, as borrowing costs in Spain and Italy spiked. All three major indexes were down more that 1.5% by mid-afternoon, as rattled investors bailed out. "People are starting to get very concerned about the macro picture of both sovereign debt and China's slowing growth," said Sam Ginzburg, head of trading at First NY. "We're starting to get very worried about going back to a recession." The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) tumbled nearly 210 points, or 1.6%. The S&P 500 (SPX)...

Restrictive policies aimed at undocumented immigrants have pushed them underground, fostered negative perceptions of law enforcement and created anxiety around mundane activities such as walking their children to school and driving, according to a report released Monday that focuses on North County. Supporters of those measures said they are intended to make life difficult for the undocumented, with the goal of spurring them to return to their native countries or at least leave this region. Escondido’s police chief also disputed the study’s findings, saying that public safety in his city has not been undermined. ((snip)) “Nothing justifies breaking the law,”...

Poll: Americans, 2-1, Fear Obama's ReelectionJanuary 9, 2012 When it comes to how Americans view President Obama going into the new year, there appears to be very little spirit of Auld Lang Syne. Instead, according to the new Washington Whispers poll, many voters aren't forgetting what they dislike about Obama and want him out office. In our New Year's poll, when asked what news event they fear most about 2012, Americans by a margin of two-to-one said Obama's reelection. Only 16 percent said they fear the Democrat won't win a second term, while 33 percent said they fear four more...

I need to begin with a qualification: I’ve been embarrassed when some famous evangelical leaders (no, I’m not going to name names) have blamed people for the disaster they’ve suffered through. For example, I didn’t agree with blaming 9/11 on this sin or that or blaming the Haitian earthquake victims for the earthquake because they practiced Voodoo. We aren’t in a position to say why a particular disaster strikes a particular group. Now, that being said, that doesn’t mean that disaster isn’t always a call to repentance. God certainly uses disaster, every disaster, that way. I’m just saying we shouldn’t...

"I mean this is scary," she said. "Shoot, being married to Barack Obama? He's got big plans. He's always pushing us beyond our comfort zones, and I'm dragged along going, `What's he doing now? No, not this."

Yesterday, in discussing Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) and Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer's continuation of the attempt to exploit "gunwalked" guns for more restrictive firearms regulation, we noted Feinstein's breathless hysteria regarding .50 caliber rifles: And the problem is anybody can walk in and buy anything, .50 caliber weapons, a sniper weapons, buy them in large amounts, and send them down to Mexico. As the Sipsey Street Irregulars' Mike Vanderboegh notes, .50 caliber rifles seem to be something of an obsession of hers: There is one thing that is always fascinating to me about Feinstein. She can't mention gun control...

So much for euphoria. Having soared just days ago on a pledge by European leaders to prop up euro zone banks and stem the spread of a festering debt crisis, world stock markets and the euro came crashing back to earth this week as Greece's government hovered near collapse. The decision by Greece's prime minister to subject a just-agreed bailout to referendum was the last thing markets wanted to hear. A defeat by Greek voters could see Greece ejected from the euro zone and thrust into default, a scenario investors fear could spark a run on banks that have lent...

Political thoughts on Halloween At Halloween time, our children dress up in their scariest costumes, but if they’re too scared, the masks can always come off. Teenagers go to the movie theater for their fright, but as terrifying as a horror movie may be, the kids can always just head back to the lobby “for some popcorn and soda” until they’ve calmed down. Some are afraid of the dark; they can just turn on the light. Some are afraid of the neighborhood; they can invest in a burglar alarm system, or move to where it’s safer. So many of the...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Terrified by Alabama's strict new immigration crackdown, parents living in the state illegally say they are doing something that was unthinkable just days ago -- asking friends, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances to take their children if they're arrested or deported.

Egyptian officials are expressing fears that Israel may seize control over the Sinai Peninsula. The warning came from Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Othman, Cairo's representative to Ramallah, who told the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency that recent remarks by Jerusalem officials indicate “the presence of an Israeli plan aimed at controlling the Sinai.” Othman added, “We should be ready for the Israeli plan to take Sinai in the coming period.” The Egyptian envoy's remarks followed interviews by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, in which both characterized the situation...

Spiders are the most feared pest, although people increasingly have phobias about hornets, rats and wasps, a new study has revealed. Spiders topped a "fear index", with two-thirds of those questioned saying they were spooked by them, a survey of 2,000 adults by home emergency firm HomeServe found. Hornets and rats were closely behind, with foxes sneaking into the top 10 ahead of mice, fleas, slugs and snails, while moths, flies and ants were the least feared.

Sarah Palin has told Sky News that the fear of media attacks on her family is preventing her from joining the race for the White House.

I'm writing this because I can't sleep. As I peruse the threads at FR, I am struck with the massive amount of bad news. It's everywhere. The idiot in Norway, the debt crisis, sexual peccadilloes from our elected officials, people shooting each other over a paint job on a car, road rage that ends in death...it's all over, and it is not getting any better. The Bible is pretty clear on a couple things (actually, on a WHOLE bunch more than a couple, but I'm narrowing it down for the sake of the piece). We who believe are instructed to...