Free Republic

Any serious strike against Tehran would almost certainly trigger a larger Middle East war... and time is not on the Israelis' side: here's how the IDF is likely planning to win, and win BIG: The Assad regime in Damascus has long been one of a number of deterrents to any Israeli military strike on the Iranian nuclear program. They -along with their Hezbollah allies in Lebanon- would likely launch a vicious missile barrage (at minimum) against the world's only Jewish state if Iran was attacked. Israel may possess the world's most comprehensive anti-missile defenses, but considering Iranian proxy Hezbollah now has over...

It is now more obvious than ever that Newt Gingrich should stay in this race. If for no other reason he needs to do so to keep repeating his questions and answers on fuel. Over the coming months he needs to get others to repeat and spread the truth about our oil capacities and this is the way to do it. Keeping the debate going will spotlight the current debacle that is the Administration’s oil policy, the effects of Obama’s unemployment rates; the rest of the economic questions that plague us because of Obama, front and center in the MSM...

I’m watching Justice with Judge Jeanine Pirro. She personally seems to be impartial but she has this panel of three guests who are all dumping on Rick Santorum. They are mocking him for his stance on moral issues. The fact that Santorum is –doing well in the Michigan Polls is impressive – yet they are all talking about it as though it is a negative. They are acting, spinning this as though Santorum was the FAVORITE going into Michigan and he should be leading by a landslide! Following those three shills, her next guest was Joe Piscopo, who was the...

President Obama, I oppose your appointment of Michael Taylor, a former VP and Lobbyist for Monsanto, the widely criticized Genetically Modified (GM) food multinational, as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner at the FDA. Taylor is the same person who was Food Safety Czar at the FDA when Genetically Modified Organisms were allowed into the US food supply without undergoing a single test to determine their safety or risks. This is a travesty. Taylor was in charge of policy for Monsanto's now-discredited GM Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) which is directly linked to cancer and opposed by many medical and hospital organizations.

Well, here’s the totalitarian state, right before my eyes! Today in the mail came a largish envelop for me from The “National Agricultural Statistics Service”, postage and fees paid by USDA Permit No. G-38. A prominant blocked off area on the envelop front stated in large bold letters, “YOUR RESPONSE IS REQUIRED BY LAW.” Also on the envelop and several places inside I find Obama-style logos for the USDA, and one with “AGRICULTURE COUNTS” around the outside, and at the base of the rolling landscape “NASS,” which stands for National Agricultural Statistics Service. That’s right: now we have a National...

I found this watering can over the weekend, I think it had a special use because of its shape and tiny pour spout. https://plus.google.com/photos/104740570180750966610/albums/5695710428831171889

From Payback Pictures™ comes a tale of intrigue, revenge and blood thirsty politics. The Shores of Lake Winnipesaukee is a movie that’s so dark that only political junkies will enjoy this incestuous hotbed of RINO politics. It is the story of one Republican’s maniacal pursuit of revenge on his fellow Republican candidate – a man so driven that he is willing to derail his candidacy for the sake of eliminating the competition. If you liked Santorum Spanked The Establishment, you’ll love The Shores Of Lake Winnipesaukee.

At Carolina Readiness Supply in Waynesville you can buy freeze-dried macaroni and cheese by the 20-ounce can and a solar oven in which to warm it. You can get a woven bracelet in a variety of fashionable colors that converts into handy lengths of cord. Then, in theory at least, you are prepared for almost anything: making simple repairs to your backpack, starting a fire with a friction bow or fashioning a ladder for an elaborate escape from some futureristic prison. You can buy emergency kits that contain quick-assemble shelter and his-her hygiene necessities, water purification systems, lanterns of every...

We just recently purchased 6 Buff Orpington hens that are getting ready to turn 8 months old and were already laying. Yesterday I noticed one of the girls has a black diarrhea. Not sure if it's a "stress" or if it's food or illness causing it. We currently give them layer crumble and have recently given them stale bread ( OMG They're like my labs with food , when it comes to stale bread lol ) and some cabbage leaves. Just was wondering if anyone has had experience with black diarrhea in your hens and could offer some tips.

A few years ago I swore off of writing on political topics. The frustration level just got to be too much to bear. But the recent advent of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests and the attack on capitalism has prompted back into political action. Those who know me well know that gardening is one of my passions and I’ve found over the years, and used, gardening as a fantastic metaphor for so many things in life. I want to relate a conversation I had nearly 20 years with an old neighbor of mine when I lived in the rich low-country...

At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue the lines between trick and treat are being blurred beyond recognition. White House occupiers Barack and Michelle Obama are getting all reanimated over the approach of Liberal Christmas. Halloween, the one night of the year when extortion by threat of vandalism is alive in the streets. The rest of the year, it's just called domestic policy.

Michelle Obama will be a published author in April, when a book about her White House garden is released, Crown Publishing Group announced on Monday. The first lady’s book, “American Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden Inspires Families, Schools and Communities” will be available on April 10, 2012, the publisher said. In the hardcover book, Obama — who launched a childhood obesity initiative in 2010 — will discuss how “increased access to healthy, affordable food can promote better eating habits and improve health of families and communities across America,” according to a press release sent from the publishing house...

As the national media continues to promote the idea that these absurd "Occupy" protests demonstrate some groundswell of popular opinion, reports continue to emerge from localized media showing how ugly these encampments are becoming. A report out of Cleveland that  police are investigating a rape claim made by a 19-year-old woman last weekend has received little attention. Do you suppose if a rape claim was made against a tea partier that it would receive more attention?It's gotten so bad in Baltimore that organizers are discouraging alleged victims from going to the police (maybe they should go to Sheriff Biden).Meanwhile,...

"…if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden…" These days on the cusp between September and October have been gloriously sunny and warm so it seemed appropriate for us to take a wander around nearby Sheffield Park. With grassy slopes, peaceful lakes and sweeping trees it’s a fitting memorial to the genius of Lancelot “Capability” Brown who originally laid it out 250 years ago.

ACTIONS speak louder than words. Let's see if Schultz stands firm or rejects his own rhetoric going forward.

When someone says “survival food preps” or “stockpiling survival food“, what do you think of? Do you think of tons of dried rice and beans stored in mylar bags? How about a basement full of #10 cans, does that come to mind? Or is it a combination of several things? When I was thinking of writing an article about survival food preps, the first thing that popped into my head was – MREs, canned goods and garden seeds. But where does perishable goods fit into that narrow picture? For the first week or so people are going to be eating...

I have lived in many countries over the years, and have always had a vegetable garden. Not just for cost, as many of the countries I have lived in have had what we considered dirt cheap food, but for the quality. Nothing compares to the taste of veggies fresh from the garden. Recently, some friends told me about the bad drought in Texas. Their gardens are blackened and burnt, with food only coming in, grudgingly, thanks to heavy watering every other day. It immediately took me back to two of the hardest places I have ever tried to raise food....

It is possible to create jobs, have healthier diets and improve the local economy by re-birthing local agriculture on small plots of land. Each pound of lettuce or eggs or beef shipped from California, Latin America or Mexico raises our dependency on foreign oil. And buying food from far away costs us jobs locally. Some communities have figured out a new path forward that fixes all that. North Carolina’s Rutherford County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Yet some 6,000 families own between 5 and 20 acres of land, and chefs in nearby Charlotte are in...

We eat with our eyes first, don’t we? God made food attractive so we would choose to eat what’s good for us. As you walk into the produce section of your grocery store, you can’t help but notice the beautiful colors of the vegetables and fruits. It’s like a painter’s palette with its rich display of color. Green, red, yellow, purple and orange, with some of those variegated together. It’s a pretty fresh looking sight, but did you know that the colors of your acid/alkaline vegetables and fruits are important to your health. Let’s learn how you can benefit from...

Rick Perry’s promise “I’ll work every day to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can.