Free Republic

Fearful that they're losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access. The Democrats, trying to stiffen their party's spines on the contentious issue, say it's unfair to bar illegal immigrants from paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange. Legal immigrants, they say, regardless of how long they've been in the United States, should be able to get government-subsidized health care if they meet the other eligibility requirements. "Legal permanent residents should be able...

I was just looking at the front page over at politico and their headline about whether there will be another liberal lion like Teddy K. The photos shown were as big a rogues gallery as I've ever seen. Those pics, along with several dozen others, should be hanging in your local post office.

David Frum has done conservatives a great favor, and we should be thankful. The favor is not that he has written another negative piece about Gov. Palin. No, that's nothing new for Frum, who has been bashing the governor since she stepped up onto the national stage. Frum's gift to conservatives is that in the article, he clearly demonstrates why Vichy Republicans cannot be trusted to act in the GOP's best interests. Referencing Todd Purdum's VF hit piece which has caused such a stir, Frum itemizes Purdum's anti-Palin talking points from the VF smear job, and then he makes this...

Political Science 101 May 18, 2009 — Ideally, science should be non-partisan and stay out of politics.  That ideal is not always met, as the following recent stories illustrate. The intellectual president:  New Scientist published a commentary, “Hail to the intellectual president,” by Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science.  Opening line: “If you liked George W. Bush, it wasn’t because of his brain.”  Ronald Reagan, John McCain and Sarah Palin were other targets labeled anti-intellectual in the article, along with McCarthy and Eisenhower.  Obama, by contrast, is “the intellectual president,” in his opinion.  “With the coming of...

<p>BROOK PARK, Ohio - Ford Motor Co. is holding a grand reopening for a suburban Cleveland engine plant that had been closed for two years.</p> <p>The factory in Brook Park is now producing a new line of fuel-efficient engines that will be standard on the Ford Taurus SHO and optional on the Lincoln MKS and MKT, and on Ford Flex cars.</p>

Sharpening the distinction, the judges used an example from a prior torture case — an example that thoroughly refutes Holder’s attempt to downgrade torture to a general-intent offense: “The mere fact that the Haitian authorities have knowledge that severe pain and suffering may result by placing detainees in these conditions does not support a finding that the Haitian authorities intend to inflict severe pain and suffering. The difference goes to the heart of the distinction between general and specific intent.” To state the matter plainly, the CIA interrogators did not inflict severe pain and had no intention of doing so....

Parliament suffered its darkest day yesterday as MPs and peers were suspended for alleged misconduct and the Commons faced an exodus of shamed and demoralised Members. MPs caught up in the expenses scandal admitted that they could be dropped by their local parties. Others were said by colleagues to be ready to walk away. Some who have been unaffected declared that the attractions of life as an MP had disappeared. It was the grimmest time that most could remember, with many still fearful about future disclosures and none able to raise enthusiasm for immediate concerns such as the European and...

excerpt: [photo] a Christian minister in London because they didn’t like his gospel television show. “If you go back to the studio,” they threatened, “we’ll break your legs.” The Reverend Noble Samuel said, “(The first man) started slapping my face and punching my neck. He was trying to smash my head on the steering wheel. Then he grabbed my......

One Law for All, the group that campaigns against the adoption of Islamic law or sharia in the UK, is planning a mass demonstration in the centre of London tomorrow, Saturday. 'We know we have a huge fight ahead and can only win if we do this together. We must mobilise a mass anti-racist movement that defends people's rights and lives and gives them precedence over culture and religion,' says organiser Maryam Namazie. The protest is timed to coincide with International Women's Day. Maryam says: 'This is your chance to voice your opposition to sharia law and all religious-based tribunals...

Note: The following text is a quote: May 8, 2009 UK bans cross-shaped medal as offensive to Muslims and Hindus When in Muslim countries, non-Muslims must conform their behavior to Muslim sensibilities. In non-Muslim countries, non-Muslims must conform their behavior to Muslim sensibilities. Got it? It is a pity that the prevailing multiculturalist fog is such that the Hindus joined this initiative. They may ultimately find their allies in this struggle turning on them. Cultural Abdication Alert from Absurd Britannia: "Queen's medal of honour scrapped... because it's too Christian for Muslims and Hindus," from the Daily Mail, May 8 (thanks...

Aaqil Ahmed, the innovative and interesting programmer responsible for Channel 4's recent Christianity: A History series, has been appointed the first Muslim head of religion at the BBC, as we report today. The Church of England could have been a little warmer in its welcome. The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Rev Nigel McCulloch, said: 'The Church of England takes a close interest in the way Christianity, and other faiths, are portrayed by the BBC across all its programming. We are also interested in its specifically religious output, in light of this country's Judeo-Christian heritage. It is the quality and...

GORDON Brown was under pressure last night to call an immediate general election in the face of public fury over the Westminster expenses scandal. Angry voters across the country are demanding a mass clearout of MPs. At the same time, Scotland Yard has announced a team of leading police officers and prosecution lawyers will meet next week to decide what action to take against those who have abused the public’s trust. A poll of voters yesterday found two-thirds want an election called as soon as poss­ible. The same number want MPs who have been named and shamed to be forced...

Members of the BNP should be banned from being nurses, according to a motion passed at Unison’s Health Care Service Group Conference today. Delegates voted unanimously in favour of the motion, submitted by the National Nursing Sector, which calls for a law to prevent BNP members becoming nurses. It also calls for support from the NMC, which states that nurses should not discriminate against patients on the basis of race, but does not ban BNP membership outright. Proposing the motion, Mick McKeown, nursing sector committee member, said that the racist views of the BNP were incompatible with the public service...

Gordon Brown’s efforts to broker an £80billion bailout for world trade on a trip to Brazil hit a stumbling block tonight when the country’s President lashed out at ‘white, blue-eyed’ bankers for bringing the world economy to its knees.   Mr Brown watched on uneasily as his host, President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, launched a bizarre tirade in which he warned that next week’s G20 summit in London would be a ‘spicy’ affair.  President Lula said it was completely unfair that the poorest people in the world were suffering most for the mistakes of wealthy, Western financiers.  ...

Labour faces the possibility of being all but wiped out in the South in next month’s council elections, putting a swath of its parliamentary seats in jeopardy at the general election. Gordon Brown will launch the party’s local and European election campaign today in Derbyshire, one of Labour’s last four counties, all of which could fall on June 4. Although the four in jeopardy are in the Midlands or the North the Prime Minister will be equally worried that Labour councillors could disappear from a string of counties in the South. Labour has seen its local government base fall alarmingly...

It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since Margaret Thatcher became Britain's prime minister. She is now in declining health and no longer speaks in public, but if this week's anniversary of Mrs. Thatcher's election proves anything, it's that mention of her name can still start an argument. Some honor her as an unwavering champion of common people and simple principles. Others denounce her as an unbending, heartless ideologue. But virtually all agree that no American president has had a more reliable foreign ally. A generation later, facing tremendous international dangers, President Barack Obama could use such a partner....

Labour is heading for an election defeat as heavy as that suffered by John Major because Gordon Brown has lost control of the parliamentary party, two senior Cabinet ministers have privately warned. The Prime Minister was forced to surrender in his battle to reform MPs’ expenses yesterday after backbenchers threatened to defy his authority for the second time in two days. The retreat was announced to avert another humiliating loss in the Commons, only 24 hours after the Government was defeated over the right of Gurkhas to live in Britain. After another day of whips’ desperate bargaining with Labour MPs...

FURIOUS David Cameron tonight called for the dissolution of Parliament claiming that the political system in Britain is 'paralysed'. The Conservative leader said that the public 'wanted to pass judgement' on politicians in the wake of the expenses scandal and demanded a snap general election. As Commons Speaker Michael Martin refused to resign in chaotic scenes in the House, Mr Cameron said he wanted immediate action from Tory activists throughout the country to force the dissolution of Parliament. He also urged the general public, including Labour and LibDem supporters, to join in and start their own petitions or write to...

London, Nov 14 (ANI): A top British Liberal Democrat has proposed a solution to combat global warming - put a full stop on babies. Chris Davies has warned that halting population growth, as an answer to global warming, would prove to be far more efficient than trying to cut pollution. The North West England MEP added that families should be encouraged to have no more than one child in an effort to combat climate change. But he said he did not support "Chinese-like ideas of compulsion". "What's the single most effective thing couples can do to play a part in...

You have asked under what circumstances I could support SB 77, the budget act for FY 2007-08. In my judgment, the largest general fund budget the state can safely sustain under current conditions is slightly over $100 billion, or $8.3 billion more than was spent just two years ago and $21.7 billion more than was spent at the outset of this administration. Here are my thoughts on the scope of the problem and on what immediate steps can be taken to address it. SCOPE OF PROBLEM Although the architects of the budget maintain that it is “only” out of balance...

Tony Blair has suffered a bad night in England's local elections with Labour losing more than 300 councillors. The main winners were the Tories, who had their best results since 1992. The Lib Dems failed to make much headway. Elsewhere the BNP doubled its councillors, including winning 11 seats from Labour in Barking. The Greens and Respect also made gains. The prime minister has reshuffled his Cabinet to try to regain momentum after days of bad headlines. The projected vote share if the polls were held nationwide shows the Tories on 40%, Lib Dems 27% and Labour 26%. Turnout is...

The Conservatives look to be on course for their best local election performance since they last won national power in 1992. On the projected share of the votes if the local polls were held nationwide, the Tories are on 40%, ahead of the Lib Dems' 27% and Labour's 26%. As well as net gains of more than 200 seats, the Tories have won control of councils like Crawley and Merton. But opponents say they have failed to breakthrough in northern cities. Ealing gain There have been Tory wins in areas such as Shrewsbury & Atcham, Bassetlaw and Mole Valley. The...

The Pet Shop Boys are to use their new album to attack the Government. Lead singer Neil Tennant regularly donated thousands of pounds to the Labour Party during its first term in office between 1997 and 2001 but he now votes Liberal Democrat. Tennant and Chris Lowe, the other half of the synth-pop duo whose hits include It's A Sin and West End Girls, went to several party functions hosted by Tony Blair, including the notorious "Cool Britannia" celebration at Number 10 in July 1997. Now, however, Tennant and Lowe vehemently oppose the Government's plan for ID cards and the...

The other night Jimmy Carter popped up on the Larry King show, live via satellite, standing in a ski lodge and wearing a fur-lined outdoorsman jacket as though he'd just come in from felling a spruce. He was publicizing an upcoming auction in which he would sell the furniture he'd been making. Also his wine. This may have come to many viewers as a surprise: There is Jimmy Carter Wine. The former president didn't say how he made it, but you know what it's probably called: peanut noir. Also he plans to sell his paintings. "My paintings," he told King,...

Charles Kennedy, leader of Britain's third-biggest party, resigned on Saturday after support from his colleagues evaporated when he admitted he had had treatment for alcohol abuse. The Liberal Democrats, the only major party in Britain to oppose the Iraq war, will now face a leadership contest. Kennedy, 46, decided to step down after days of turmoil following his surprise admission on Thursday. He had previously always denied having a drink problem. "I am standing down as leader," he told reporters at Liberal Democrat headquarters. "When nominations open (for the leadership) I shall not be putting my name forward." He said...

LONDON, England (AP) -- The leader of Britain's opposition Liberal Democrats resigned under heavy pressure from the party Saturday, days after he acknowledged battling a drinking problem. Charles Kennedy initially resisted stepping down despite calls from nearly half of the party's lawmakers for him to resign, saying the Liberal Democrats' rank and file still backed him.

London — Leading members of Britain's opposition Liberal Democrats demanded the resignation of party Leader Charles Kennedy on Friday, warning that his unprecedented public acknowledgment of a drinking problem has made him a “dead man walking.� Parliamentary deputies began turning against the 46-year-old Scotsman after he acknowledged in a public statement late Thursday that he had sought medical treatment for the problem. The party's Treasury spokesman, Vince Cable, handed a letter to Mr. Kennedy signed by 11 senior party legislators, saying his was position was untenable. International development spokesman Andrew George and trade and industry spokesman Norman Lamb announced that...

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has admitted he "been seaking to cope with a drink problem". He said he had "struggled" against alcohol but had not had a drink for two months now and is in good health.

A married MP promised to stay with his wife yesterday after admitting that his personal assistant is having his baby.John Hemming, 46, a newly elected Liberal Democrat MP, said Emily Cox, 27, a city councillor with whom he has had an affair for six years, was expecting their child in November. He said his wife, Christine, was "not best pleased" when he broke the news to her but he had no intention of leaving her. Mrs Hemming said that even though she felt "betrayed and hurt" and that the pregnancy "sends out a disgraceful moral message", she would stand by...

New HampshireThe day after the election, the BBC reported that the Iranian government was interested in buying MG Rover. This was a useful reminder of what one might call the internal contradictions of Blairism. It would be difficult to imagine circumstances in which the mullahs would buy, say, General Motors, yet here was George W. Bush’s alleged poodle presiding over a land where what’s left of the native automobile industry is happy to become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Axis of Evil. I’ve no idea what MG Rover makes these days, but no doubt it will soon be changed...

On election day, I happened to be motoring through the leafy lanes of Warwickshire, and thinking, as I do every couple of years or so, well, maybe I ought to get out the car and pick up some local colour and so forth. And, just as the thought occurred, I passed a Porsche dealership and a riding club and I realised, oh, no, I'm in Solihull. Nothing against Solihull, I hasten to add, but let's face it, it's not exactly the liveliest posting on anybody's election battleground map. "Conservative since the dawn of time," as the chap on the BBC's...

Americans are accustomed to thinking of Britain as their most reliable ally, always there in a crisis. Broadly speaking that has been true since 1941 — and mutual. With the exception of a few wobbles like Suez and Edward Heath's refusal of landing rights to U.S. planes supplying arms to Israel in the Yom Kippur war, the Brits have shared a common approach with the U.S. on defense policy, intelligence cooperation, nuclear weapons, trade liberalization, and much else. Margaret Thatcher's backing for Reagan's Libyan raid and Tony Blair's commitment of British forces to the Iraq war strengthened this habitual cooperation....

Women would not be jailed for shoplifting under crime plans unveiled by the Liberal Democrats today. The Lib Dems said putting women behind bars risked damaging families. They said women shoplifters should instead serve community sentences. Party leader Charles Kennedy said: “What is achieved by such a set of circumstances (jailing women shoplifters)? “You have a woman behind bars, separated in many cases from children. Wouldn’t it be better if that person was rehabilitated in the community, rather than being incarcerated?”

Is Joe Lieberman (D-CT) the latest enemy for liberal Democrats? Perhaps. With left-wing activists, there always seems to be enough hate and bitterness to go around. And now some of it will be aimed at squarely at Sen. Lieberman. In the last few days, several press outlets are noticing that the left wing is ready to hammer away Lieberman because--gasp--he is considered a centrist. The NY Times says that "In recent weeks, he has angered Democratic activists nationwide for expressing a willingness to work with President Bush to change Social Security. Critics say that is just his latest act of...

DEMOCRACY IS FRIEND to the common man and authoritarianism is a crutch for millionaires with a villa in Italy -- right? Maybe no longer. Lady Liberty has acquired a new dancing partner. Politics in both Europe and the United States have unhitched the left from its trusted partner, democracy. American liberals now often spurn blue collar opinion that is democracy's fuel. They mostly reject global idealism that is liberty's post-communism vocation. This has allowed a Republican president to make democracy his cause. On the dance floor of the 21st century, the right embraces Lady Liberty. Snip... What a strange moment...

What's your favorite horror movie...and why? What fried your hair, and still makes it jump if you get a little too tired and you remember a sequence or two from something that scared the stuff out of you. I've always dismissed horror movies as a waste of time, but the older I get, the more I realize they must serve some function--some cathartic function--because they are an enduring genre, and each generation likes to find its own favorite scary movies. Heard a commentator saying the other day, the reason the country is so preoccuppied with horror films right now is,...

The Death of Liberalism by Raymond S. Kraft "The threat is great, the battle is hard, therefore we should do nothing. We might lose! The gangs are running wild in L.A. Somebody might get hurt. Get rid of the police! Sixty-three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat, and had sunk more than four hundred British ships in their convoys between England and America for food and war materials. Bushido Japan had overrun most of Asia, beginning in 1928, killing millions of civilians throughout China, and impressing...

Yob go-kart plan is not 'reward' The Liberal Democrats are insisting a proposal to send joyriders on driving weekends is not "rewarding" young criminals. Speaking at the party's annual rally, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten suggested new thinking was needed to tackle anti-social behaviour. And he urged the media to give the idea "space" and avoid kneejerk headlines. He also set out plans to allow panels of local people to decide how to punish petty criminals. Getting tough? The panels would decide punishment for offences like graffiti and anti-social behaviour, Mr Oaten said. And he added: "Joy-riders going...

MOSCOW, Sept. 13 - President Vladimir V. Putin ordered a stunning overhaul of Russia's political system on Monday in what he called an effort to unite the country against terrorism. If enacted, as expected, the proposals would strengthen his already pervasive control over the legislative branch and regional governments. Mr. Putin, meeting in special session with cabinet ministers and regional government leaders, outlined what would be the most sweeping political overhaul - and his most striking single step to consolidate power - in Russia in more than a decade. Critics immediately said it would violate the Constitution and stifle what...

Laura, Karen, Ann, Lynne, Condi, Katherine - they're successful professors, lawyers, librarians and novelists. They have minds of their own. Yet, they unquestioningly support President Bush even as he robs women of the right to make private decisions about their personal lives. Even worse, they’re masking Bush’s record of restricting women’s rights – convincing women across the country to vote for Bush in November. You're not the only one who finds this disturbing... and you can be part of the growing number of Americans who are ready to do something about it. Imagine what President Bush will be able...

<p>Federal authorities in New Jersey and three other states charged members of an animal rights organization yesterday with domestic terrorism after a probe into what they said has been a surge in crimes by militant activists fighting to stop product testing on animals.</p>

What is it with liberal Democrats calling American soldiers "murderers"??  Jesse Jackson, on US liberation of Iraq, 4/3/04: the UN should consider sanctioning America for its decision to "murder all these people" in Iraq..."we killed them"..."we executed people"..."a crime against humanity". John Kerry, on his "Band of Brothers" in Vietnam, 4/22/71: he referred to "the 200,000 a year who are murdered by the United States of America" in Vietnam. Why hasn't the GOP called for Kerry to disavow Jesse Jackson's comments? Could it get any easier? Kerry should be forced to choose between Jesse Jackson and the American people. And...

<p>MOSCOW -- The allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin won a historic victory in elections at the weekend, giving the Kremlin effective control of the Duma, or lower house of parliament, for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union. Mr. Putin's allies in the United Russia party gained most at the expense of the Communist Party, which continued to wither. But the elections also contained two much less savory aspects: a huge protest vote from those who have yet to benefit from his rule, and a collapse in support for the only parties committed to Western-style liberalism.</p>

All three of the people featured in this column have engaged in some form of sleazy politics in the last week. All of them need to be put down, fast and hard, not just because they earned it but as a lesson to others. We begin with the one that everyone who has a TV knows about, Kobe Bryant's lawyer in the preliminary hearing in Colorado. Bryant's attorney, Pamela Mackey, asked a question about prior sexual conduct of the complaining witness in this rape case. She asked it of Detective Doug Winters, who was the only witness in the first...

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - On the surface, Rob Reiner's "Alex & Emma" looks to have the right stuff to return the filmmaker to firmer commercial footing after 1999's "The Story of Us." Pairing two bankable actors as likable Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson in a romantic comedy would seem like a recipe for success, but the end result proves to be a dull, draggy disappointment. Loosely based on "The Gambler," an autobiographical short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky about a debt-ridden, gambling-addicted author who must deliver a new book within 30 days or forfeit the rights to all of his...

Lib Dems' popularity a casualty of hostilities By Anthony King (Filed: 28/03/2003) The war in Iraq has boosted Labour and the Tories but inflicted serious damage on the Liberal Democrats, according to YouGov's monthly tracking poll for The Telegraph. Before the war began, the Liberal Democrats' anti-war stance seemed to accord with public opinion but views have changed and the Liberal Democrats have suffered accordingly. As the figures in the main panel indicate, 40 per cent of voters now say they would back Labour in an early general election and 33 per cent the Conservatives. Labour has gained five points...

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday faces potentially the biggest rebellion yet from within his ruling Labour Party in a parliamentary debate over his pro-American hawkish stance on Iraq. Up to 100 of Labour's total 410 legislators (MPs) in the British parliament's lower chamber are backing an amendment -- for what is bound to be a fiery debate -- stating that "the case for military action against Iraq is yet unproven." It is one of three "anti-war" amendments put forward by Labour "rebels" and opposition Liberal Democrats determined to embarrass Blair, who is staunchly backing U.S....

Pelosi trying to play down liberal nature Days before being elected House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi began suffering the first pangs of an identity crisis. The San Francisco Democrat -- and she better get used to that identifier, because it will be with her for the rest of her career -- has already grown visibly uncomfortable in her own skin, reluctant to own up to the Bay Area brand of liberalism that's characterized her life in politics. Last week, Pelosi made repeated efforts to downplay her reputation. "I don't think (House Democrats) chose me as an outspoken liberal," she said....