Free Republic

Each of the Presidential candidates and those who support them are fighting for the soul of America. Each has a radically different world view; each inhabits a radically different culture. They listen to different music, watch different movies, read different media. Each mainly socializes only with others who are like themselves. They do not talk to those with whom they disagree and when they do, it is often with anger and contempt. I have lived in both worlds. I still do...

Councils are using anti-terrorism laws to spy on residents and tackle barking dogs and noisy children. An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph found that three quarters of local authorities have used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 over the past year. The Act gives councils the right to place residents and businesses under surveillance, trace telephone and email accounts and even send staff on undercover missions. The findings alarmed civil liberties campaigners. Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: "Councils do a grave disservice to professional policing by using serious surveillance against litterbugs instead of terrorists."

Palin Promises More Domestic Drilling; Clinton Stumps For ObamaBy: NY1 News 09/07/2008 01:30 PM The Republican ticket headed out west yesterday, telling voters of their plans to reform Washington and create an energy independent America. **SNIP** "In a McCain-Palin administration we're going to drill and produce more of our own energy including nuclear and alternative fuel, we're going to drill more,” said Palin. **SNIP** "We have to make clear that in our market system investors can't be allowed to believe that unlike working families they can simply invest in a 'heads they win, tails they don't lose situation,’” said Obama....

“Thanks W!” proclaims the lapel button some delegates to the Republican convention are sporting this week in St. Paul. Smiling from that button: Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. A group of conservative activists and GOP delegates got together in Minneapolis Tuesday on the sidelines of the convention to focus on the election’s highest stakes — as in the highest court in the land. “Elections do have consequences,” said ex-senator Mike DeWine from Ohio, who was booted from his Senate seat in 2006. Yes, it was a humdrum truism. But the defeated DeWine himself exemplified the fact...

When Ralph McClintock boarded the USS Pueblo in January 1968, he was planning for a three-week mission. Instead, the 24-year-old communications technician became a prisoner of war, a pawn in the Cold War sideshow that began with North Korea's capture of the Navy spy ship and imprisonment of its 82 crew members. Forty years later, as McClintock and the other survivors of the Pueblo prepare for a reunion, he's proud of his service and the bonds he made with his crew mates during 11 months in captivity. But the pride is tinged with bitterness. "We were treated as heroes when...

During a nationally televised news program today, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Barack Obama disclosed he once considered serving in the military. This is a very transparent move to bolster his national security credentials and occurred the day after a release of a Greenberg-Quinlan-Rosner poll that showed a widening credibility gap that the Democratic Party has with the voters over national security issues.

Sarah Palin's first year as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, could easily have been her last as she became embroiled in personnel challenges, a thwarted attempt to pack the City Council and a bitter standoff with her local newspaper.

Obama's stump speech plays to fears, hopesSunday, September 7, 2008 By CHARLES BABINGTON DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) -- As Barack Obama paces before 15,000 people with a hand-held microphone, it's easy to assume his 30-minute talk is more or less a free-associating string of talking points and applause lines. In fact, it's a carefully organized four-part argument. Obama delivers it without notes or changes from week to week. A campaign centerpiece for 19 months, the full-blown stump speech probably has done more than anything to rocket him to fame and to a lead over Republican John McCain in some national polls....

Did Barry misspeak when he talked about his faith on This Week With George Stephanopoulos?

Highlights From the GOP ConventionToday This weekend, C-SPAN presents highlights of Republican National Convention including acceptance speeches by Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) & Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Then, Rep. Ron Paul's (R-TX) speech at "Rally for the Republic

Apparently the media wants to get even for the Swift-Boaters successful torpedoing of John Kerry in 2004 because they are by the dozens every day promulgating lies about the career and life of Governor Sarah Palin. I recently posted a piece on the lies, exaggerations and misbegotten assumptions of a Baltimore Sun columnist and it got me to thinking to try and gather one thread rebutting the media's ever evolving negative memes against this strong woman. From unproven claims of infidelity, to claims she is a book banner and a negligent Mother, the media have been smearing this woman daily...

The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on September 7 masterful for its underhanded back slapping of John McCain, Sarah Palin and anyone who would vote for them all while pretending to say how successful the McCain/Palin ticket is in garnering support since the end of the GOP Convention. Nearly every "positive" thing said about Republicans and anyone who would vote for McCain was framed as a negative and the way this article states its case proves as one of the most perfectly sly pieces of pro-Democrat propaganda I've seen in a long time. It's so good that you don't...

Hillary Clinton Gets Ready to Campaign for ObamaSeptember 7, 2008 Hillary Clinton will be in Florida tomorrow, as Barack Obama's campaign mobilizes prominent Democratic women to hit the campaign trail on his behalf as the GOP touts Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Clinton appeared at the Labor Day Parade in Midtown yesterday, but she didn't directly critique Palin. The Senator from New York did say, "I slightly amend my comments from Denver. No way, no how, no McCain, no Palin." That's a variation on her post-RNC statement, in which Clinton also said, "After listening to all the speeches this...

Obama offers Palin a game of hoops7 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AFP) - Democrat White House nominee Barack Obama on Sunday offered to go one-on-one with Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin -- but only on the basketball court. Obama, 47, who blows off steam on the campaign trail with games of pickup hoops, however joked that he wouldn't take on the Alaska governor -- and experienced hunter -- with a gun. "She looks like she's got some game, she played in high school," Obama said of Palin's basketball talents on ABC "This Week." "You know, I know she's a sharpshooter,...

Councils are using anti-terrorism laws to spy on residents and tackle barking dogs and noisy children. -snip- The Act gives councils the right to place residents and businesses under surveillance, trace telephone and email accounts and even send staff on undercover missions. -snip- The RIPA was introduced to help fight terrorism and crime. But a series of extensions, first authorised by David Blunkett in 2003, mean that Britain's 474 councils can use the law to tackle minor misdemeanours. Councils are using the Act to tackle dog fouling, the unauthorised sale of pizzas and the abuse of the blue badge scheme...

Was young Obama Indonesian citizen? Document, travel suggest 'Barry Soetero' member of world's largest Muslim country 8:18 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein © 2008 WorldNetDaily Indonesian school registration for "Barry Soetoro" (AP photo) JERUSALEM – Was Sen. Barack Obama a citizen of Indonesia at any point in his life? That question has been circulating on the blogosphere with increased fury the past few days, since a photograph emerged of Obama's school registration papers as a child in Indonesia – the world's most populous Muslim nation – showing the presidential candidate listed as a "Muslim" with "Indonesian" citizenship. An investigation into...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Federal officials unveiled an extraordinary takeover on Sunday of troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, signaling the most dramatic move to date aimed at shoring up the nation's housing market.

"The tickets are set, the conventions are finished and the candidates are off and running in the race for the White House. How did they do? Have you made your choice? ..."

Defense Update magazine has published a news story about a new Marine Corps contract awarded to Navistar Defense, for the development and production of a lighter version of the MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) under a $752 million contract awarded last week by the US Marine Corps. The corps is the program manager for the development and procurement of the MRAP vehicles, built under an urgent requirement to protect troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from ambushes, improvised explosive devices (IED), mines and roadside bombs. The full story is available: HERE

Shun meat, says UN climate chief By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News website Cow road sign Livestock production has a bigger climate impact than transport, the UN believes People should consider eating less meat as a way of combating global warming, says the UN's top climate scientist. Rajendra Pachauri, who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will make the call at a speech in London on Monday evening. UN figures suggest that meat production puts more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than transport... "The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat...

The "Drill Now" issue advantage will become moot if Pelosi allows a vote before the election. This is now obviously in the Dems gameplan. Getting ANWR into the bill will accomplish one of two results. Either, we get ANWR approved, or backlash will get more Republicans elected.

Customers at Northwood Power Equipment are hoping to get their outdoor wood heaters delivered before a new state law bans the selling of some models starting Jan. 1. "I don't think we're going to be taking orders anymore," said store manager Rick Devoid. "We're getting close to the deadline. Right now, it's a November-December delivery date." A state law passed in July set the Jan. 1 ban for selling outdoor wood-fired hydronic boilers that don't meet federal air pollution standards.

Cannot post: Here is the link: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809060343

In swing-state Colorado, the Republican Secretary of State conducted the biggest purge of voters in history, dumping a fifth of all registrations. Guess their color. In swing-state Florida, the state is refusing to accept about 85,000 new registrations from voter drives – overwhelming Black voters. In swing state New Mexico, HALF of the Democrats of Mora, a dirt poor and overwhelmingly Hispanic county, found their registrations disappeared this year, courtesy of a Republican voting contractor. In swing states Ohio and Nevada, new federal law is knocking out tens of thousands of voters who lost their homes to foreclosure. My investigations...

SAN DIEGO -- Anyone who heard Sarah Palin's rousing speech at the GOP National Convention should now understand why Democrats have been trying to destroy her. And why, luckily for the country, they've failed. You mess with a hockey mom -- and even go after her family -- and you're bound to lose some teeth. Such as when Palin drew a distinction between "candidates who use change to promote their careers," and "those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change." Or when she said that "a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that...

Another Palm Beach County election mess, including thousands of missing ballots, stumbled toward a new venue today with county officials leaving it to the courts to decide a disputed judicial race. Members of the county's elections canvassing board have halted their weeklong attempts to verify who won a razor-thin race between Circuit Judge Richard Wennet and William Abramson. "We have done as thorough of a post- or mid-election review as we can do to reconcile apparently irreconcilable numbers," said County Judge Barry Cohen, the chairman of the canvassing board. Canvassing board members insisted, though, that they expect an investigation into...

A Hero Speaks   By Jamie GlazovFrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, November 29, 2005 On August 26, 1967, Air Force Major (later Colonel) George "Bud" Day was hit in his F-100 just north of the DMZ.  During ejection he smashed one knee and broke his right arm in three places.   The North Vietnamese were waiting for his parachute.  Taken prisoner, he was given a novocaine shot and put in a primitive and painful cast on his arm.  Day was bound at the ankles and carried to a small underground bunker.  After dark, he managed to untie the ropes and crawled out of...

SAMUEL Augustus Maverick, Texas rancher of the 1840s, is proudly sitting up in his grave. His name, which has become an eponymous American word, was cited repeatedly at last week’s unexpectedly enthusiastic Republican convention. “I’ve been called a maverick,” John McCain told his rounded-up party. “Sometimes it’s meant as a compliment; sometimes it’s not.” True enough: old Sam Maverick’s friends said he refused to brand his cattle because it was cruel to animals; competing ranchers said it let him round up and claim all the unbranded cattle in the neighborhood. In an era that has sophisticates displaying designers’ initials, the...

UTICA, New York - Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin left St. Paul, Minnesota, with a smallish bounce overall and some energy in key demographic groups, as the race for the presidency enters a key stage and voters begin to tune in to the contest, the latest Zogby Interactive poll finds. The McCain/Palin ticket wins 49.7% support, compared to 45.9% backing for the Obama/Biden ticket, this latest online survey shows. Another 4.4% either favored someone else or were unsure. The Ticket Horserace 9-5/6 8-29/30 McCain-Palin 49.7% 47.1% Obama-Biden 45.9% 44.6% Others/Not sure 4.4% 8.3%

Whoever imagined that we would see a Republican convention rapturously applaud an unwed teen mother? Yet that is just what happened on Wednesday night in St. Paul. At the conclusion of Sarah Palin’s triumphant speech, the Alaskan Governor welcomed her family onto the stage: her husband, her five children and the fiancé of Bristol, her visibly pregnant 17-year-old daughter. That moment confirmed a dramatic evolution in American politics: the transformation of the pro-life movement from an unambiguously conservative force into something more complex. A quarter century ago, a sympathetic journalist named Burton Yale Pines set out to understand the origins...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The main reason I am writing this column is that many people have asked me how I first realized I was suffering from a brain tumor and what I have done about it. But I also want to relate the reaction to my disease, mostly compassionate, that belies Washington's reputation. . . . . . When Zelda said to call 911, I again resisted, but she again prevailed. I promptly suffered another seizure in the ambulance, the second of three seizures that day. I gained admittance to the high-quality Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, which has...

If Barack Obama really wants to fix "the broken politics of Washington," he could start with his running mate, Beltway insider Joe Biden. Indeed, the Delaware senator's Capitol Hill seniority has proven to be a dividend to his family - including his son, Hunter, a multimillion-dollar DC lobbyist. As The Los Angeles Times reported, Hunter Biden and his uncle - Joe Biden's brother - got $2 million in financing (to buy a premium hedge fund) from a law firm that has lobbied the senator's office on a key bill, and benefited nicely from Biden's vote. That firm, SimmonsCooper - one...

My colleagues in the American liberal press had little to fear at the start of the week. Their charismatic candidate was ahead in virtually every poll. George W Bush was so unpopular that conservatives were scrambling around for reasons not to invite the Republican President to the Republican convention. Democrats had only to maintain their composure and the White House would be theirs.

BATON ROUGE -- At 2 a.m. Aug. 31, with Hurricane Gustav a day away from landfall, Gov. Bobby Jindal called a meeting of the state's high-level emergency command group to face another crisis in the massive evacuation of southern Louisiana. Hearing the news that Gustav was a potential monster storm, several hospitals in the New Orleans area had decided Saturday to evacuate rather than ride out the tempest, and suddenly ambulances with critical-care patients were lining up at Lakefront Airport awaiting airlift for the community's most helpless people. But there weren't nearly enough planes. Jindal knew the storm's initial high...

NOW might be a good time to buy some FedEx stock. International travelers are sure to be shipping a lot of laptops on overnight delivery to avoid losing them for hours or weeks - thanks to the Department of Homeland Security's new confiscation policy. Congress recently forced the department to admit it has assumed authority to take an air traveler's laptop computer (or any other electronic device) to an undisclosed location for an unspecified time to check for suspicious files - even "absent individualized suspicion" of wrongdoing. [Snip] Being "randomly" wanded and frisked at an airport-security checkpoint is bad enough,...

I once made a bet that Canada and the United States would see a woman or a black in the top political job from the political right (the Conservative party and the Republicans respectively) before the centre-left succeeded in that feat. My reasoning was simple though counter-intuitive: Despite the popular view that right-of-centre parties are anti-women or anti-minority, they are nothing of the sort. They are pro-individual and pro-merit. So they oppose race and gender quotas because they see such policies as harmful to individuals (i.e.: if you don't belong to the "proper" group); such policies also interfere with normal...

The general also confirmed that a decision to build new aircraft carriers for the Russian Navy had been adopted. Russia's Navy commander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, said in July that the Navy command had decided to form in the future 5-6 aircraft carrier task forces to be deployed with the Northern and Pacific fleets.

Do not think of Sarah Palin as the Governor of Alaska. That obscures what matters. Focus on the qualities that enabled her to achieve such a position. Sarah Palin has always been a competitor and social activist. Not only has she always criticized what was but she had ideas as to how things should be. Rather than contending herself with sounding off she acted to make things better. Rather than joining someone else's bandwagon she created her own and invited others to get aboard. She gets things done. She is a natural manager and leader. At least that's the impression...

Kilpatrick may get extended stay in Manoogian9/6/2008, 9:11 p.m. EDT The Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his family may remain in the official mayoral residence after he leaves office later this month. A spokesman for Detroit City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. told The Detroit News on Friday that the Kilpatricks may be able to stay in the Manoogian Mansion for a while. Cockrel is set to become mayor Sept. 19. Kilpatrick resigned on Thursday as part of a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and pleaded no contest to...

Obama's vanishing money advantageEd Lasky September 04, 2008 We have heard quite a lot over the past year about Barack Obama's fundraising prowess. But the good times may be over. Now it suddenly appears that John McCain and his campaign are no slouches in this area. The announcement of Sarah Palin as his running mate has changed things. The Wall Street Journal reports on the state of the money race: ...it appears Sen. Obama's money advantage is far smaller than it was assumed to be early on. [....] Fund-raising reports through July show that the DNC and Sen. Obama have...

Democrats do not think that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's arrival in the enemy camp changes Sen. Barack Obama's path to the White House. As far as they're concerned, Republican John McCain's running mate is President George W. Bush. As Obama told voters in Pennsylvania on Friday, "This race is not a personality contest." That bet is about to be tested. Independent observers in Ohio think Palin does change the race, enhancing the GOP's appeal - not among the women who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, but among white men. They say Palin's most potent weapon may even be her snowmobiler,...

Now that much of America is starting to pay closer attention to the presidential campaign -and with the race a virtual tie - Republicans have intensified their strategy to corral the undecided stragglers: reignite the culture wars. This version won't be as explicit as conservative Pat Buchanan's 1992 GOP convention call for a "cultural war" or even the 2004 race, where anti-gay marriage referendums drove cultural conservatives to the polls in 11 mostly swing states. Instead, this battle will be fought under the cloak of the candidates' personal biographies. Using the GOP paintbrush, the race pits the "ex-POW war hero"...

Crowd enthusiastic about McCain-Palin rally in NMAssociated Press - September 7, 2008 12:04 AM ET ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The crowd that attended this evening's rally in Albuquerque for the Republican presidential ticket were enthusiastic after hearing from John McCain and Sarah Palin. **SNIP** Dawn said words couldn't describe it, while Dan Lowe called the rally incredible. He says Palin motivated the couple and McCain spoke from the heart. Others in the crowd said the speeches reinforced their backing of the Republican presidential ticket. In the words of 71-year-old David Kelsey: "We're more and more impressed."

http://www.kwtx.com/ The race is on. If the presidential election were held today, who would get your vote? Poll Results: Republican: McCain-Palin - 59.6% Democrat: Obama-Biden - 32.8% Libertarian: Barr-Root - 0.8% Green: McKinney-Clemente - 0.3% None of the Above - 3.2% Don’t Know - 3.3% Total Responses - 1752

Out on the trail, once unknown Palin - now greeted by 'Sarah! Sarah!' - gains celebrity status By SARA KUGLER, Associated Press Last update: September 6, 2008 - 9:37 PM Featured comment COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The banners, buttons and signs say McCain-Palin, but the crowds say something else. "Sa-rah! Pa-lin!" came the chant at a Colorado Springs rally on Saturday moments before Republican nominee John McCain took the stage with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a woman who was virtually unknown to the nation just a week earlier. The day before, thousands screamed "Sa-rah! Sa-rah! Sa-rah!" at an amphitheater outside...

Hillary Clinton unleashed to counter ‘pitbull in lipstick’ Sarah PalinSarah Baxter September 7, 2008 It seems only yesterday that Hillary Clinton was battling against Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. But when she hits the campaign trail in Florida tomorrow Clinton’s target will be Sarah Palin, a new threat to her ambition to be the first woman elected to the White House. Clinton lost no time, attacking Palin moments after John McCain delivered his presidential acceptance speech in St Paul, Minnesota, last week. Reporters’ BlackBerrys buzzed with her verdict. “No way, no how, no McCain-Palin,” she said. Officially, Clinton...

NYT Headline: “Obama to Dispatch Female Surrogates” changed to “Obama Camp Turns to Clinton to Counter Palin.” Based on the first headline : Obama to Dispatch Female Surrogates, the NYT validated Obama’s claim to having executive experience, I guess Obama didn’t like that, so he put in word, and then, presto, the New York Times turned it into something about the Obama CAMP , that faceless entity that makes decisions for the Lord Obama, "Obama Camp Turns to Clinton to Counter Palin. More importantly, the “Female Surrogates” turned to ONE WOMAN: Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Palin-Slayer! Senator Barack Obama will...

McCain, Palin to appear at Lee’s Summit rally on Monday Saturday, Sep 6, 2008 Republican John McCain and vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin will appear at a rally in Lee’s Summit at 10:30 a.m. Monday, the campaign said. The two will be at The Pavilion at John Knox Village, 520 N.W. Murray Road. No tickets are required. “First come, first served,” a media statement said. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. McCain will fly into Kansas City on Sunday evening, but no public events are scheduled. Winning the suburban vote in places such as Lee’s Summit is seen as key...

For John McCain and Sarah Palin, it was "mission accomplished" at last week's Republican National Convention. The GOP senator from Arizona and his surprise running mate, the governor of Alaska, got the party's grassroots activists revved into fighting mode - and sent them out fully charged for battle against the Democrats. But appealing to the true believers in the GOP arena was the easy part. Now comes the reality check for the brutal 60-day campaign sprint against the Democratic ticket of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Can McCain-Palin sell themselves as the agents of change - and distance themselves...

At a press conference given by some House Republicans a short time ago, we were reminded (and I had totally forgotten about it) that it has been 5 weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi gaveled the House of Representatives to a close for their summer vacation without giving Republicans an "up or down vote" on their energy bill. Republican Congresspeople have been taking turns going back to Washington to demand Pelosi reconvene and allow a vote for the sake of the American people. Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio reiterated that their bill will provide Americans a more diverse supply of...