Free Republic

The flame of which America is the white-hot heart is the living fire of the West. But who knew I would find one of the most moving descriptions of what the United States represents in one of my youngest son’s books? Rick Riordan has created Percy Jackson, son of a human woman and Poseidon, the (Greek) God of the Sea. In The Lightning Thief, Percy discovers what it means to be a half-blood; that the gods truly are immortal—and they are living in America: Explains Charon the Centaur: “Come now, Percy. What you call ‘Western civilization.’ Do you think it’s...

I make a point of looking at the Economist each week, in order to see what this part of the establishment are thinking. I can not normally stand to read it for than a couple of minutes (as it makes me feel unclean), but that is enough time to find some utter absurdity with which amuse people. However, this week I think I have come upon the worst Economist article of all time: The title, featured on the front cover, is "McCain's lurch to the right"... For those who do not know British "political speak", "lurch to the right" is...

Denver—With a recent move to relegate peaceful protestors beneath the Denver homeless population, Re-create 68 has now vowed that there will indeed be “a bloodbath” at the Democratic National Convention should they try to keep them fenced in. The American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit, stating that their First Amendment rights have been violated by security restrictions. “What the hell do they think we are? Barnyard animals,” asked Tom Mestnik, a member of The Re-create ’68 Alliance, an umbrella group organizing the protesters. “They’re giving the homeless a free pass...

RFFM.org Guest Column by Gregg Jackson * About a month ago, the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, issued a declaratory opinion that Proposition 22, which states that, "Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California," enshrined into statutory law by 61.4% of California voters in 2000 (over four million voters), was "unconstitutional" on the basis that "gender discrimination" violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The LA Times reported: "The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would...

More ties to the radical left have surfaced in Barack Obama's past. The latest stem from his involvement with the activist group, ACORN... ACORN...is the nation’s largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities. Obama was a member of ACORN and taught leadership conferences for the group while working for Miner, Barnhill & Galland... Obama actively sought and received the endorsement by ACORN for his local campaigns. He has now done the same in his bid for the USA presidency... So what is ACORN all about? In a Spring 2003 article for...

The thrust of the article, however, is not to highlight the folly of the leftist policies of mandating the use of biofuels, it is of course, to bash the Bush Administration. "The daily said the report was finished in April but was not published to avoid embarrassing the US government, which has claimed plant-derived fuels have pushed up prices by only three percent." Last time I checked, Bush is not in the Enviro-kook camp, so it’s not like he’s trying to cover for Barack Obama, Al Gore, and their minions, who want to use more biofuels as an alternative to...

http://msunderestimated.com/2008/07/05/an-unrepentant-proud-american/

Read the Declaration today. Then read it to your kids. Talk to them about the sacrifice of time, treasure and life that our Founders made (and that many in their families made as well). Ask them if they would have signed, knowing that as they did so, they were signing their own death warrants. Then remind them that today, as we eat hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob and gasp at amazing pyrotechnical displays (probably from China), we have men and women—almost children themselves—fighting and dying to protect our liberty. Most of you who have discovered this site hold the same profound...

When Barack Obama asks us to believe in one of his changes, it is never quite clear whether the rubes to be fooled are the Great Unwashed who agree with the Flop or the naifs who agreed with the Flip. The eternal question always is, "who are the rubes"? Well, in what is obviously a gust-busting turn, the editors of the New York Times are beginning to worry that they are the rubes. In this morning's lead editorial ("New and Not Improved"), they detail and denounce many of Obama's post-Hillary pivots to the center. As their irritation builds, I'm thinking...

NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog at The 7-10, but I thought the readers here at The Free Republic might be interested in this post as well. This post is part of an ongoing series assessing various names being floated around for vice presidential picks. In this particular post, I reexamined Mitt Romney. ----- The former Massachusetts governor seems to be the most logical and most beneficial pick for John McCain. I was originally skeptical about his political future, but have since become more bullish about his chances. Romney will not help deliver Massachusetts, but it could make...

Crossroads in History: The Struggle against Jihad and Supremacist Ideologies...The true challenge of Islamic supremacism to America and the free world is not about Islam, Islamism, or terrorism, but about us. It is a historic challenge to determine whether we truly have the courage of our convictions on equality and liberty and we are willing to fight for these ideals, or if we will instead accept the continuing growth of anti-freedom ideologies here and around the world.    Islamic supremacists are counting on their belief that America is no longer willing to fight for such freedoms, that it has...

President Bush recently signed the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Act of 2008, aka, the HEART bill. Hidden in the bill is new taxation on those who renounce their citizenship. The bill specifically calls for taxation on the net unrealized gain in their property, as if the property had been sold. Call it the "Hotel Calfornia" Tax, checkout any time you want, but a good chunk of your money can't leave. The first $600,000 in estimated net worth is exempt, then the tax kicks in at regular rates. Thus, this tax creates the potential for huge taxable phantom gains, with...

What is the Fairness Doctrine? - It’s NOT about fairness o It is a government plan to censor talk radio and Christian radio - FCC regulation that requires broadcasting stations to air both sides of a controversial issue o Reduces, rather than encourages discussion of controversial issues of public importance o While in effect, broadcasters limited controversial programming in fear of government sanction and administrative and legal expenses - Equal time would be provided free of charge, becoming costly to broadcasting licensees, who would eventually drop popular shows like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham o In fact, Bill...

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah!First the good news: Watch and listen to a beautiful patriotic song written by Iraq Vet Eric Keller dedicated to the the service of our brave veterans. "Patriot" From the sublime to the pitiful. . . America has never seen in its history such blatant attempts by a political party to undermine and subvert the populace and the military in a time of war. Soon after the United States stunning and overwhelming ousting of the Saddam regime in Iraq - with Demokrat...

State College’s pacifist community is offering an alternative to the warlike displays of fireworks, barbecues and beer-fueled fistfights that have become synonymous with Fourth of July festivities. The group, Peaceful State, has created Non-violent Resistance and Solidarity Fest, as a peaceful way to celebrate the mid-summer holiday. Since the group does not recognize the existence of the United States, Isreal, and the Aborigine Occupation Zone in Australia, there is no mention of Independence Day or revolution, except in the context of struggle against capitalism and Prince’s former band. Garrison Kegger, who created the concept, said the event gets underway with...

This comic pretty much sums up the attitude of the author with regard to the "do nothing" congress. Yep, it's time for another slam on democrats by "Geeks On Caffeine." Note: The author has requested that you visit the web site and that you refrain from copying and pasting the strip into the body of this thread. Thanks!

Jay and I have been bantering the 'Joe Horn' case, discussing various aspects of it and what it means to the greater society. Along the way, Jay mentioned the concept of 'duty to retreat'. The concept is based on the idea that when faced with an aggressor, a person has a moral duty to avoid confrontation, to give up ground and back away. That when a criminal gets it in his head that he wants to take something, we should just let him do so. That if he hurts someone, we should not try to prevent it. That the most...

Sen. John McCain will choose businessman and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney as Vice President, in his bid for the White House this November, a source closely connected with the McCain campaign, who asked to remain anonymous, told us earlier this afternoon. Though others were close in the running, the choice ultimately came down to the money–not the man. According to our source, the campaign narrowed their Vice Presidential options to Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, the two most successful opponents of McCain in the bid for the Republican nomination. But despite Huckabee’s sway with far Right conservatives and evangelical...

I am tutoring a going-into-4th grade boy this summer, just two hours a week. I have only had him one week so far. Today we were talking about the flag; I have one on my bulletin board. He said, "I sometimes like to put the flag on the ground and step on it." I said, "You DO? Why (you little booger)?" He said, "I sometimes like to do things that are wrong." I only had a few minutes left with him, so I spoke about reverencing the flag and those who had died for our country. I will continue to...

Obama showed his gratitude by going to socialist conferences and selecting Marxist professors as his friends in college. Barack Obama’s patriotic tour has run into a snag. More evidence of communist backing for the candidate has surfaced. The latest to emerge publicly in Obama’s camp is Joelle Fishman, the chairman of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) Political Action Commission. In a column titled, “Big political shifts are underway,” Fishman says that Obama could lead “a landslide defeat of the Republican ultra-right” this November and that he is “ready to listen” to the “left and progressive voters” backing him. Fishman makes...

But...but....President Bush said Islam is a religion of peace. Is this just a coincidence that Bush will be out of office soon, and now people are speaking the truth? The Justice Department is considering letting the FBI investigate Americans without evidence of wrongdoing..... For there rest....

After nearly 15 years of attempting to describe how the mainstream media has often negatively portrayed conservatives, I have found there are some basic truths which have prompted such coverage. Certainly those who fall on the right of the political spectrum are not fairly represented or reported on by many journalists in the dominant press. However, the dynamics of conservatism and the varied views which make up this broad political idiom has, at times, fostered the coverage it receives...

In a nation where around 25% of the citizens categorize themselves as ‘French’, and a province where that number is drastically lower than that, we find ourselves now force-fed a different language and a different culture. And people wonder why I am an Alberta separatist.

THE NEW YORK TIMES AND OIL SUPPLY TRUTH July 3rd, 2008 The New York Times, long a bastion of pessimistic liberalism, which is redundant, was peddling its negative petroleum wares and scares soon after 9/11: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E2DC123FF937A25753C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4. The Times has never retracted its fearmongering view that the only recourse for America’s oil woes is to curb our insatiable lust for oil, in effect to cut back on our industrial production and lifestyle, to conserve ourselves into Third World status since there just ain’t no more oil to be had because of our limited “proven reserves.” That’s poppycock. Whether the Commissioner of...

Barack Obama's speechwriters continue their sales job, today giving BHO a speech to read about public service. And, on his site you can find a "Plan for Universal Voluntary Public Service" (barackobama.com/issues/service), where he informs us that "this will be a cause of my presidency". I can hardly wait! Further: Obama will expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000 and he will focus this expansion on addressing the great challenges facing the nation. He will establish a Classroom Corps to help teachers and students, with a priority placed on underserved schools; a Health Corps to improve public health outreach;...

This morning the Washington Post broke the news that Barack Obama got a sub-market interest rate when he took out a mortgage to buy his Chicago mansion in 2005: The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a "super super jumbo." Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates. Compared with the average terms offered at the...

So John McCain roughed up a Sandinista back in the 80's. Senator Thad Cochran (a political enemy) says it's true, McCain denies it. Here's an excerpt from My Way News describing the incident in Managua: "McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerrilla group here at this end of the table and I don't know what attracted my attention," Cochran said in an interview with The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. "But I saw some kind of quick movement at the bottom of the table and I looked down...

IFI Media Watch It's a cold dark day. A group of stern-looking men and women sit in a conference room and decide what their countrymen should hear and what they shouldn't. "This isn't reflective of the people's wishes," says one member of the panel. "Yes, we'll have to make room for what our leader thinks," says another without batting an eye. Now you might be thinking I'm describing an event in Iran or the former Soviet Union. Perhaps it's an historical description of a meeting of the Communist Bloc in Mao Tse Tung's China. Sadly, it is none of the...

As reported by WaPo the Obama campaign claimed that the discounted rate on his $1.3 million mortgage was due to a competitive offer made by another lending institution. A campaign spokesman went further by claiming that Obama had no prior ties to the Chicago based Northern Trust. Apparently the Obama campaign has once again forgotten those “pesky”...

By far our most popular EPJ post, ever, has been our Does Goldman Sachs Run The World? post. Here's an update on Goldman Sachs and their latest power move, the infiltration of the Barack Obama campaign. Robert Rubin, former Co-Chairman of Goldman Sachs, is advising Obama. Obama has named Jason Furman, his top economic adviser. Furman, with Rubin, was an aide in the Clinton White House, and worked there directly under Rubin. He is also a close associate of Rubin through their work together on the Hamilton Project. Which doesn't mean that current Goldman employees aren't paying attention to Obama....

One of the dumbest things about the Clark kerfuffle is that because there are so many elements of military service that people respect, the narrow critique he’s offering against McCain seems almost beside the point. I see service mainly as a testament to character and fortitude; others see it as evidence of good judgment, and others as an important lesson for a C-in-C to have (i.e. “experience”) before committing other men to war. So far as I know, McCain has never staked his own wartime ordeal to any one of these, preferring to let voters draw whatever they find most...

As one of the supposed anti-science conservatives liberals are always yammering on about, I was glad when President Bush vetoed the increase in federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. I wrote about the adult stem cell success stories, and since June of last year, there have been even more exciting treatments.

Bear in mind while reading this offal that the arsehat author of this nonsense lives in this house: OK, so away we go: "Barack has awakened in many of us the notion that we can again be hopeful, enabling us to believe that we are capable of lifting our brothers and sisters out of poverty, of providing quality education for all our children, of ending this unjust war in Iraq and bringing our troops home safely." Dude, are you kidding me? What in the holy hell would you know about poverty? Try working for a non profit for a while....

We invite ALL Americans to join us for the Celebration Event of the Year!!! When: JULY 4th, 2008!!! Where: CAMP VIGILANCE, Boulevard, CA Event Time: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Border Watch: For Patriots Who Wish To Stay, There Will Be A Weekend Border Watch -July 5th & 6th!! The Unity of Groups: The event is sponsored by California Coalition for Immigration Reform, Save Our State, The Minuteman Corps of CA Inc, The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of CA, The San Diego Minutemen, The Escondido Minuteman Brigade, The Antelope Valley Minutemen and others!!!!! July 4th festivities will include guest speakers,...

Three people were killed and 66 were wounded - one moderately and the rest lightly - on Wednesday afternoon when a bulldozer driver went on a rampage in downtown Jerusalem. The attack, at the junction of Jaffa Road and Sarei Yisrael St., set off a panic in the area and left a large swath of damage in the heart of the capital. Traffic was halted, and hundreds of people fled through the streets in panic as medics treated the wounded. A car was dragged several meters by the bulldozer before being crushed under the vehicle. The parents of a baby...

Imagine that you were the CEO of large automobile manufacturer and last night the plant that manufactured the transmissions for your product was destroyed in a massive fire. What would you do? Would you...

You would think it would be simple, but I forget that the concepts of Duty, Honor & Country are dirty words to the left/press. None who have served, well none with more than 4 months in the motor pool, wonder what John McCain proved to us. We know that a man who would refuse to be released ahead of others and allow the enemy a propaganda victory definitely understands and stays true to those three pillars. The clowns on the left toss out the straw man that he learned nothing about foreign policy there. Well I disagree, he learned at...

Heller Decision -- Deeper AnalysisAlan Korwin6/30/2008 "Strictest Scrutiny" Found in the Fine Print Many Other Assets Revealed After Study Gura Takes Another Case FIRST, THREE NEWS ITEMS: 1. June 26, 2008: "An 'outraged' Chicago Mayor Daley this morning denounced a U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Washington D.C.'s handgun ban as a 'frightening decision' and a "return to the days of the Wild West.'" Adding salt to the wound, Chicago was immediately sued over its own tyrannical handgun ban and licensing tax scheme, by a coalition of pro-human-rights groups including the Second Amendment Foundation, the NRA and the Illinois State Rifle...

Tammy Sue Barkhard, a third-generation Welfare recipient who lives in Tyrone, said that she gets a little misty when she hears the Star-Spangled Banner on July the 4th. It's a special day for her. "I think about George Washington crossing the Mississippi on that special day in July and creating a country that makes no distinction between the slothful and the truly needy," Barkhard said. "It's a good day to reflect on what this country owes me. Plus, a few of my babies were conceived on July 4th, too." Her live-in boyfriend, Dwayne Scott Arrington said he, too, enjoys the...

Sometimes you have to wonder where the priorities of Congress lie. Joe Black, from "Geeks On Caffeine" sure does!

Here are three separate stories of imposing Muslims. Involving life saving dogs and life saving doctors. But none of that is of any concern to the Islamos of Europe. In Tayside Scotland, Muslims are having another hussy fit. All because a picture of a police department puppy is on postcards handed out by the police department. http://islaminaction08.blogspot.com/2008/07/doctors-and-dogs.html

TRUST "U.S. Army Task Force Regulators 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment Staff Sgt. Fred Hampton, of Lexington, Ky., kneels on a knee to talk with a young Iraqi boy at the future site of Regular 6 Park in the Thawra 1 section of the Sadr City District of Baghdad on June 20." Photo: Tech Sgt. Cohen Young, Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq. "In Sadr City. There are no words to express everything conveyed by this photo. To me, it represents the highest ideals of our country and our guys, and the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people. This is...

What started out as a plan to shift state workers to a 4-day, 10-hour work week with Fridays off, has morphed into a more sweeping measure after policy makers penciled out the numbers. “At first we thought shutting down on Fridays looked like a good way to save some money during the budget crunch,” said Frank Lee, spokesman for Governor Jon Huntsman (R). “But when we looked at the costs and benefits in more depth it became clear that a total shutdown would be the best option for the state.” “When you get right down to it, the sad fact...

Today Sherri will be joined by Stan Wise, Georgia Public Works Commissioner, to talk about Energy Policy and State's Rights.

Patriots live, breathe, and exude patriotism because it is part of their fiber. It becomes part of your fiber when you are taught, beginning as a child, that the root of America’s greatness is our freedom. You learn that America has freed millions of people from the grip of tyranny and oppression over our long and storied history. You learn that American freedom still serves as a beacon of hope for billions of people around the world. And while some people may not be proud of our country, Patriots are proud. Video. Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. (Proud to...

Patriots live, breathe, and exude patriotism because it is part of their fiber. It becomes part of your fiber when you are taught, beginning as a child, that the root of America’s greatness is our freedom. You learn that America has freed millions of people from the grip of tyranny and oppression over our long and storied history. You learn that American freedom still serves as a beacon of hope for billions of people around the world. And while some people may not be proud of our country, Patriots are proud. Video. Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. (Proud to...

This post is sure to incite much controversy, mostly because it’s the truth and the truth without a legitimate rebuttal is attacked with non-substantive vitriol. So, who’s the racist? That would be all you blacks (I don’t subscribe to African-American, if you’re black and a U.S. citizen, you’re an American, period) who plan on voting for Barack Obama for no other reason other than he’s black. You are so desparate for the symbolism of having the first black President, you refuse to look past the color of his skin and deny delivery of who Barack is. Your eyes and ears...

Lost At Sea: The Vietnam “Blue Water Navy” Vets Case By Mark Weitz For ten years, between 1965 and 1975, three million young Americans, many of them still boys, answered their country’s call and served as soldiers, sailors, airman, and marines in Vietnam. Some were drafted, but many volunteered, and at the time the cause seemed clear: stop the spread of communism. By the late 1960’s the goal became obscure. The war fell out of favor as Americans began to question our involvement in a conflict that drained both human and financial resources and seemed to bring few tangible results....