Free Republic

I Wish The Obama Admin Were as Concerned With Death Sentences Against Iranian Bloggers As They Are With Ex-Egyptian PresidentsThe State Department has expressed deep concern with the death sentence handed out against former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi for his role in the 2011 Muslim Brotherhood prison break. Of course, an argument can be made that a death sentence against Morsi would turn him into a martyr not only for the Muslim Brotherhood, but for human rights activists. Not that Morsi was overly concerned with human rights when he was in power, but Morsi was democratically elected and disposed of...

He really wants to know! "ISIS is executing homosexuals — you want to talk about gay rights?" Ted Cruz was at his Ted Cruz-iest today after a meeting with local officials in Beaumont, Texas. The senator and GOP presidential candidate faced questions from reporters about gay marriage, and responded with this, according to a report in the Washington Post. “Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is obsessed with sex? “ISIS is executing homosexuals — you want to talk about gay rights? This week was a very...

BEAUMONT — Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz hit some of his main stump points while meeting with local leaders here Tuesday afternoon — promising to defend the Constitution, step back from the Obama administration's foreign policy and promote economic growth. Then Texas' junior Republican U.S. senator, visiting Beaumont to meet privately with county officials and others, got in a light sparring round with reporters, mainly working on his attacks on Hillary Clinton and defending his views on same-sex marriage. "Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is obsessed...

Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz (R) hit some of his main stump points while meeting with local leaders here Tuesday afternoon — promising to defend the Constitution, step back from the Obama administration's foreign policy and promote economic growth. Then Texas's junior U.S. senator — visiting Beaumont to meet privately with county officials and others — got in a light sparring round with reporters, mainly working on his attacks on Hillary Rodham Clinton and defending his views on same-sex marriage. "Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is...

The Boy Scouts of America has put out approved activities for its members, and water gun fights are strictly prohibited.A blog for the organization’s leaders said May 6 that pointing simulated firearms at people is not allowed. “Why the rule? A Scouter once told me this explanation I liked quite a bit: A Scout is kind. What part of pointing a firearm [simulated or otherwise] at someone is kind?” said Bryan Wendell on the scouting website. The rule is clarified in the Boy Scouts of America National Shooting Manual, which says “For water balloons, use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill...

Another day, another notch in the “Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned” belt that is squeezing the life out of conservatives: Mark Kirk has hocked another loogie in the spittle-splashed faces of conservatives who held their noses and helped elect him. He, along with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), has introduced a resolution to remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment, which has long since passed. This comes on the heels of his shameless pandering to homosexual activists at a marriage-deconstruction rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court a few weeks ago...

Gov. Bobby Jindal issued a statement Tuesday (May 19) saying he plans to issue an executive order to enforce the intent of a religious freedom bill that effectively died about two hours earlier, in the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee. Read the full statement below: "We are disappointed by the committee's action to return the Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act to the calendar. We will be issuing an Executive Order shortly that will accomplish the intent of HB 707 to prevent the state from discriminating against persons or entities with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one...

The push to end so-called “conversion therapy” against homosexuality is expected to gear up Tuesday with the introduction of a House bill to ban the therapy nationally. The bill comes a few weeks before a consumer fraud lawsuit described as a “David and Goliath” battle over the therapy begins in New Jersey, and in the wake of a request for a federal probe into whether the therapy’s marketing and practices are “deceptive” and “dangerous.” Opponents of sexual orientation change efforts, such as Reps. Ted W. Lieu and Jackie Speier, both California Democrats, say being homosexual is not a disorder or...

Great news about one of my favorite Republican governors, Mary Fallin.Excerpt: If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn the millennia-long definition of marriage, Oklahoma clergy will not have to be concerned that they will be forced to perform such ceremonies.On May 1, Governor Mary Fallin signed a law that would allow ministers to exercise their religious beliefs on marriage and decline to “wed” same-sex couples.Governor Fallin’s office said in a press release that H.B. 1007 is “a bill protecting religious leaders from being compelled to perform marriages that are in direct contradiction to their religious beliefs.”The law says that...

A Louisiana House panel has effectively defeated religious freedom legislation that drew staunch opponents to it based on criticism – either real or perceived – that it authorizes discrimination against LGBT people. The bill (HB 707) is designed to block the government from pulling licenses, tax benefits, and the like from a company because of the owner's view of same-sex marriage. But LGBT advocates and a few legal experts have said it would also allow businesses of any size to refuse to recognize and sanction discrimination against married same-sex couples, should same-sex marriage become legal in Louisiana.

"..........Indeed, The Libertarian Mind is a mixture of “whatever” the individual deems to be his interest. “Whatever” can consist of the reasonable libertarian outcry against big government and abusive regulations, or its excellent affirmation of free markets, rule of law and property rights. But “whatever” also consists of the throwing off of moral restraints that inhibit gratification and self-interest. Thus, the author obsesses about the urgent need for same-sex “marriage,” the end to pornography restrictions, and the right to legal drug use.Throughout his explanation,...(h)abits like drug abuse, for example, are only seen from the individual’s perspective of happiness and not...

MASON CITY, Iowa — Hillary Rodham Clinton’s appearance here Monday at the home of Dean Genth and Gary Swenson — one of the first gay couples to marry in Iowa — spoke volumes about the political pitch and style of her nascent presidential campaign. Even as a global celebrity and the overwhelming Democratic front-runner, Clinton is doggedly focused at this early stage on highlighting her progressive values and on what she called “people-to-people connections” — aggressive organizing in the state where she placed a disappointing third in the 2008 caucuses. The event — the first of Clinton’s two-day visit —...

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- This following op-ed by columnist, Craig Turner, is being issued by the Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation. Mr. Turner, a widely-published writer, is the author of "Words of Faith" and "Words of Hope."On Friday, May 22, Ireland will vote upon an issue that has vexed both the United States and Europe: same-sex "marriage." While many Irish may believe that following the path already taken by some countries would be correct, the logic behind same-sex marriage is lacking. For example, proponents of same-sex marriage have labeled those who adhere to traditional marriage as bigots and haters....

Northern Ireland -- A judge has ruled that a Christian-run bakery discriminated against a gay customer by refusing to make a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan. Ashers Baking Company, based in County Antrim, was taken to court by gay rights activist Gareth Lee. A Belfast judge said, as a business, Ashers was not exempt from discrimination law. The firm's general manager said they were "extremely disappointed" by the ruling and are considering an appeal. The judge said Ashers is "conducting a business for profit", and it is not a religious group. The firm was found to have discriminated against...

Original Title:Hillary Clinton to Visit Home of Iowa Gay Married Couple Today, Hillary Clinton visited two longtime HRC members in Iowa. Clinton will visit Dean Genth and Gary Swenson, who were one of the first same-sex couples to marry in Iowa, at their home in Mason City with other Democratic activists, Last month, Hillary Clinton made history when her presidential campaign launched with a video featuring same-sex couples and marriage equality. A few days later, a Clinton spokesperson announced that the presidential candidate urges the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor marriage equality, citing the constitution's clear guarantee of...

The Romanian Patriarchate is calling on the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case, to “once again reject” the legislative proposal on the regulation of the civil partnership, since this represents “an attack on the enduring value of the family and the identity thereof.” The Romanian Patriarchate took this stance amid third-time attempts in recent years “to regulate the civil partnership, a bill which was every time massively rejected in Parliament.” According to the cited source, “ever since the oldest times, the Romanian people have cultivated the legacy of utmost respect towards the family, called the Church at...

Presbyterians Collapsing, or “Settling Into The New Thing God is Creating”? The 2014 numbers reveal the PCUSA's largest statistical decline to date. A slimmed-down Presbyterian Church (USA) is apparently getting ready for beach season after shedding unwanted excess members, according to a cheery report by the denomination’s top official. “The PC(USA) is a church made up of vibrant congregations doing their best to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in their communities and in the world,” an apparently unfazed Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PCUSA, soothed. “Membership declines continue, but on a whole the...

CFN Intro: One cannot help but wonder if Pope Francis is a calculating enemy of the faith, or hideously incompetent due to his modernist mindset. Neither of the two are praiseworthy qualities. Francis continually manifests himself as a destroyer, particularly by his benevolent promotion of those who attack the most basic precepts of Catholic morality and natural law. Oremus - j. vennari

FULL TITLE: 700 Kenyan Evangelical Pastors Urge Obama Not to 'Preach' Gay Marriage Support During Visit; Archbishop Accuses Obama of 'Ruining' American Society President Barack Obama has been urged by the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, comprised of 700 pastors, not to "preach" and impose his views in support of same-sex marriage on the Kenyan people when he visits the African country in July. "We would like to send a strong message to the U.S. president that the homosexuality debate should not become part of his agenda, as it has been his tendency whenever he comes to Africa," Bishop Mark Kariuki...

FULL TITLE: ‘Pro-Abortion Guy’ Begs Interviewer Not to Air His Responses — After Hearing Them, You May Understand Why Rebel Media’s Marissa Semkiw hit the streets during Ottawa’s “March for Life” this week and encountered a seemingly unyielding abortion supporter who argued it’s always the “woman’s choice” — even when it comes to “post-natal abortion.” The man, identified only as Alex, later reportedly sent an email to Semkiw asking that none of his responses be used in any videos or broadcasts. Rebel Media declined his request. During the interview, Semkiw explained that some pro-life advocates would like to see abortion...