Free Republic

Walid Shoebat says that quagmire that is going on in Iraq is just going to increase and there isn’t much America can do about it at this point. But when it comes to what started this quagmire in Iraq, Walid blames the US for ‘aiding and abetting’ the Free Syrian Army in Syria, which we all know is a terrorist group: We’re indirectly aiding and abetting an Al-Qaeda like operation, when it comes to Syria, and that’s what started the quagmire. Our aiding and abetting the Free Syrian Army — which is a terrorist group and we’ve been showing this...

Fossilized feces offer new evidence that Neanderthals ate both meat and plants. Chemical analysis confirmed the oldest-known ancient human fecal matter, according to a study published yesterday (June 25) in PLOS ONE. Previous isotope studies of bones suggested Neanderthals were primarily meat-eaters. Analyses of tartar from their teeth have indicated they may have also eaten plants, although some researchers noted that these plant remains could be traces from the stomach contents of herbivore prey. Stool, however, is "the perfect evidence because you’re sure it was consumed," study author Ainara Sistiaga from the University of La Laguna in Spain told BBC...

President Obama charged that his Republican opponents had “nothing to offer except cynicism and fear and frustration” during a fundraiser Thursday in Minnesota. The fundraiser capped off a day Obama spent with Rebekah Erler, a working mother who wrote the president to detail her financial struggle. “It moved me,” Obama said of the letter, adding that he only went into politics to help people like her. Obama said he remembered what it felt like to be struggling to figure out “how you lead a good life and raise your kids, not looking to get wildly wealthy… trying to make ends...

In the media, the conflict is portrayed as being between Michelle Obama and the food companies. The poor customer wants to do the right thing, but the food companies make it hard. But that’s not how it really works. Sadly, the Wall Street Journal story is behind a pay wall, but a summary is posted at Newser.com: “Fast Food’s New Trend: ‘Stealth Health.’”

The right to carry a concealed weapon only exists if your doctor says so. Many states are requiring that physicians certify whether patients are competent to carry a concealed weapon. Some states require mandatory reporting of those deemed not competent to carry a concealed weapon. Of course, the natural extension of such laws is that if the doctors make an inappropriate determination, then the doctors can be held liable if the certifiee does something inappropriate with the weapon.This New England Journal of Medicine article shows that many doctors aren’t comfortable making that determination. Then again, I’ve heard colleagues threaten that...

A year after leading a filibuster against a bill that many Democratic Party voters considered "draconian" efforts to spare the life of unborn infants who were 20 weeks into development, Wendy Davis and other abortion advocates will stage a one year anniversary to celebrate. For those who support the right to perform infanticide against fellow members of our human community for the sake convenience the Austin event, which will be streamed live to other supporters of convenience-based life terminations, is meant to serve as both an anniversary and rallying cry in the efforts to promote Davis to the Texas Governors...

For many people, the 2013 feature Terms And Conditions May Apply was their introduction into just how extensive and invasive data collection has become. It is all “voluntary,” of course, based on their agreement to software/app, website, and search engine terms and conditions. Even worse, is what the consumers of Big Data do with this information. Powerful computers and specialized programs allow virtually endless data dredging, whereby large volumes of information are analyzed seeking any possible relationships between data, occasionally for unethical purposes. Such practices can result in relatively benign consequences, such as seeing ads for various drugs and media...

Obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome are triggered by a lack of oxygen in adipose cells, according to a study led by UC San Diego researchers. An excess of fatty acids causes an increase in oxygen consumption, which outstrips the supply, triggering hypoxia, the study found. This leads to inflammation in the adipose cells, which in turn leads to insulin resistance, obesity and related diseases. And that's the short version. The full chain of events is even more complicated. The study, performed in mice, points to possible therapies in people, said researchers led by Dr. Jerrold...

While it is satisfying to watch Barack Hussein Obama’s presidency coming apart, it has made him a dangerous enemy who will strike without warning. He is being exposed as a fraud and the pressure of being found out is driving him to be increasingly reckless and dangerous. He’s quickly morphing into something resembling a wounded animal. His latest assault on us, his American enemies, involves erasing our Southern border to allow tens of thousands of unaccompanied illegal alien children and gang members to walk in, sit down and start demanding whatever they think they are entitled to get. We’re hearing...

CNN reporter Drew Griffin has owned the revelations surrounding the Department of Veterans Affairs and their scandalous treatment of military veterans. After a year of investigation, he broke the story involving the creation of secret waiting lists at a Phoenix VA hospital where 40 vets died awaiting care. Griffin’s reporting led to the uncovering of several more secret waiting lists – a revelation that forced President Barack Obama to accept the resignation of his VA secretary, Gen. Eric Shinseki. On Monday, Griffin discussed a new report from an independent government oversight agency which found that VA has been ignoring whistleblowers...

Many of the thousands of illegal immigrant children and teens crossing the United States border are carrying deadly contagious diseases that could easily create a major health crisis in this country, doctors say. In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Dr. Jane Orient, an internal medicine specialist and the Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), said that by admitting these huge groups of children who come from countries where medical screenings are minimal and hygiene is poor, the United States is at risk for epidemics of serious diseases and viruses that the nation has not...

Given the huge costs of bringing a drug to market, and the ticking clock of a drug’s patent protection, it is easy to understand Big Pharma’s current fascination with mergers. A case in point is the recently abandoned deal between Pfizer and UK-based AstraZeneca. Among other things, Pfizer was interested in the considerable tax savings of reincorporating in Britain; gaining access to cash “parked” overseas; and the many drugs in AstraZeneca’s developmental pipeline. However, it was no secret that Pfizer would have cut R&D budgets, as well as employment. Indeed, on May 13, Ian Read, Pfizer’s chairman and CEO told...

Your eyes do not deceive you. They’re real and they’re, well, uh. Hide your eyes.

It’s here in America, too. How bad? It’s anyone’s guess. But it’s prevalent in Muslim communities. According to one human rights activist, it’s a crisis. Back in 2010, I reported that here in America, the Academy of Pediatrics suggested that American doctors be given permission to perform a “nick” on girls from Islamic cultures. The norming of savagery. Because of our opposition to their “well-intentioned” abomination, the Academy of Pediatrics withdraw its “2010 Policy Statement on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that Endorsed Pediatricians’ ‘Nicking’ of Girls’ Genitalia.” In one particular case in Australia , defense lawyers tried to slither out...

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have made a breakthrough in the race to solve antibiotic resistance. New research published today in the journal Nature reveals an Achilles’ heel in the defensive barrier which surrounds drug-resistant bacterial cells. The findings pave the way for a new wave of drugs that kill superbugs by bringing down their defensive walls rather than attacking the bacteria itself. It means that in future, bacteria may not develop drug-resistance at all. The discovery doesn’t come a moment too soon. The World Health Organization has warned that antibiotic-resistance in bacteria is spreading globally, causing severe...

People don’t trust Barack Obama. They don’t think he is competent and are ready to believe he is the cause of the VA scandal whether this is true or not. In the 1970’s 80s 90s and on to 2000 the VA had to treat far fewer veterans who had sympathy invoking visible injuries. They were treating veterans of WW I, WW II Korea and Viet Nam, many of whom were suffering from age related infirmities. The WWI and II veterans mostly presented illnesses associated with old age. The Korea and Viet Nam veterans had more visible injuries, but they were...

( Bit late for that, Joe: Biden to 'emphasize' that illegal immigration of children to US is against the law and 'not safe' ) Vice President Joe Biden will meet with senior representatives of Latin American countries this week to 'emphasize that illegal immigration is not safe' and clear up 'misconceptions' about the U.S.'s policy on child immigration, a senior White House official said Sunday. The senior official told reporters on a conference call that a visit to Guatemala had been added to Biden's schedule last-minute so that he could meet with representatives of the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and...

Among the more subtle and less recognized dangers of allowing hoards of Muslims to surge into America are the problems caused by Muslim arranged “cousin” marriages. Experts estimate that nearly half of the world’s Muslims are products of inbreeding brought about by the persistent Islamic practice of 1st cousins marrying 1st cousins. In Pakistan the estimate is that 70% of the population are born of marriages between first cousins and as many as 30% of Turks are as well. Statistical research reveals that in every single North African Muslim country at least one third of its population are products of...

Washington’s potato saga continues.While the House considers a bill to include the potato in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) food nutrition program, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is echoing First Lady Michelle Obama’s claims that including the potato is an assault on science.“Republicans are even going after the nutrition for pregnant women and children, the WIC program. Mandating the WIC program include more white potatoes. You know, were talking about fruits, vegetables, whole grains and the rest, and they have an amendment that says more white potatoes than nutritionists recommend,” Pelosi said during her Thursday press conference.“These assaults...

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its ruling in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby on June 26, and the closer we get to that date the more frantic liberals become. Their fear of a decision in favor of the arts and crafts chain, whose owners have challenged the constitutionality of Obamacare’s contraception mandate on the grounds that it violates their religious liberty, has reached such a pitch that they are making claims that transcend the merely portentous. Their warnings concerning the consequences of a high court win for the Green family, the company’s owners, have now become downright apocalyptic....