Free Republic

Don't expect the 0bama "volunteers" to simply disband and go back to their jobs; most of these people are either: 1)perpetually unemployed 2)students 3)union thugs on "leaves of absence" These are the new SA/SS shock troops to "deal" with any dissenting voices. This dovetails nicely with his speech about a "civilian security force", don't you think. But what's even more important to 0bama is to start working on the 14 year olds in high school who will conveniently be 18 just in time for the 2012 election. Equally important is the legalization and registration of the illegals here, he will...

Please don't post any more about his citizenship. He is a legal citizen of the U.S. and is legally eligible for the Presidency.

FORT BLISS, Texas, March 3, 2008 – There’s a sense of loss here as soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team prepare to close a chapter in the short history of the brigade they stood up from scratch, took to war, then returned home to reflag. Army Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, leads more than 3,000 of his soldiers through the streets of downtown El Paso, Texas, during a Welcome Home Heroes Parade, Feb. 27, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt. Paula Taylor, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

Russian Journalist Politkovskaya Found Dead October 7, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Moscow police say prominent Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, known for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya, was killed today in the capital. Moscow police said Politkovskaya's body was found in an elevator in the apartment building where she was living in the city center. The Interfax news agency quoted police officials as saying a pistol and four bullets were found in the elevator. Politkovskaya was respected for her critical, in-depth coverage of the Russian government's campaign in Chechnya. In 2004, she fell seriously ill with symptoms of food...

The New York Times front page profile on my friend, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), "Star of the Right Loses His Base at the Border," is really all about the anti-immigration, far-right group led by Tom Tancredo of Colorado to oppose any broad-based immigration reform whatsoever--and to label any proposals for temporary workers, or even Pence's 17 year citizenship path, as "amnesty." This word "amnesty" is being used to attack absolutely any conceivable immigration compromise. I could go on forever on this subject. I have written several columns on it. But at the end of the day, the Tancredo crowd, which...

He supports tax cuts and the war in Iraq. He opposes stem cell research and the Medicare drug plan. He is a master of his movement’s medium, talk radio. Jesus Christ is his personal savior and Ronald Reagan his political idol. Conjure what might be called the perfect conservative, and chances are he would look a lot like Representative Mike Pence, the Indiana Republican who in just three terms has turned 100 House allies into a vanguard and himself into one of his party’s rising stars. Or that was the case until this spring when he sought compromise in the...

Once again, Tamar Jacoby and Cesar Conda have demonstrated that they are not serious either about protecting the United States from terrorists or about assimilating immigrants. (See “Immigration Realism.”) Among their criticisms directed at me, they condescendingly dismiss what they take to be my “outmoded ideas about enforcement” — and specifically, the measure permitting local police to check the immigration status of those who violate civil law. I admit it: along with many others — notably John Ashcroft's chief immigration-enforcement official, Kris W. Kobach — I believe that local police should have the authority to check a future Mohammed Atta’s...

Shoeless Joe Jackson was a phenomenal baseball player caught up in the Black Sox Scandal in which some team members conspired to throw the 1919 World Series. A young fan watched his hero Shoeless Joe leave the courthouse and gave us the immortal line “Say it ain’t so, Joe.� I had much the same feeling when conservative and principled Congressman Mike Pence emerged from the Heritage Foundation after his speech outlining his “rational middle ground� immigration proposal. “Say it ain’t so, Mike.� Say it ain’t so that you have played into the hands of the Bush-Kennedy-McCain amnesty coalition. I first...

Pence calls his plan a "middle ground" proposal, a "no amnesty immigration reform" in which "securing our border is the first step." This is fraudulent. At the heart of the Pence plan is amnesty. Illegal aliens here return to Mexico for one week with an assurance they can come back to their jobs. Down there, they visit "Ellis Island Centers" to register as "guest workers" and return with "work permits." The illegal are made legal and put on a path to citizenship. The only difference between the Pence plan and the Kennedy-Bush amnesty is the one-week vacation employers would happily...

It’s funny how every new “middle ground” on immigration is in the same place as the old ones. The latest “middle ground” proposal comes from Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.). Pence, who has solid conservative credentials as head of the House Republican Study Committee, offered what he billed as “The Real Rational Middle Ground on Immigration Reform” at a Heritage Foundation speech last month. Since there’s no actual bill to look at, we have to judge from Rep. Pence’s speech and other materials what the program would be like. It starts out well enough. In seeking an alternative to amnesty,...

Don Nickels and other senior Senators privately discussed ways to ease Lott out of his leadership job before year's end to put the controversy behind the party, Republican sources said.They said Senator Nickels and others are working on a 'soft landing' scenario to encourage Lott to step down under face saving conditions, which could include another prestigious Senate office. Senior GOP senators including veteran John Warner (R-Va.) spent several hours on the phone discussing Lott's eventual fate.There were also private discussions about whether party elders-perhaps former GOP leaders Robert Dole of Kansas and Howard Baker of Tennessee--should approach Lott soon...

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The man who videotaped a police beating near Los Angeles that enraged black leaders and then dodged a grand jury inquiry into the matter was arrested on Thursday as he prepared to grant a television interview. Photos Reuters Photo Slideshows Audio/Video (AP) Mitchell Crooks was taken into custody on warrants issued in northern California for petty theft and drunken driving. Authorities also served him with a subpoena to testify before the Los Angeles County grand jury. Crooks' arrest was videotaped and broadcast on local KCAL-TV, showing undercover officers hustling him into a sports...