Free Republic

President Obama signed an executive order last week continuing the faith-based initiatives program created by former President Bush. When the program was created, I warned that giving taxpayer money to private religious organizations would eventually lead to political control and manipulation of them. This week has provided some evidence that this was a justified concern. The logic behind funding faith-based initiatives seemed reasonable to some. Private organizations are much more effective in charitable endeavors than government programs and bureaucracies. Therefore, why not “outsource” some of the government’s welfare-state activities to these worthy organizations? This appealed to many conservatives, especially after...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As many state and local officials clamor for their share of the billions of dollars in federal aid in the stimulus bill under consideration in Washington, South Carolina’s Republican governor is sounding a note of dissent about federal efforts to help the economy. “A problem that was created by building up of too much debt will not be solved with yet more debt,” Gov. Mark Sanford said Sunday, making a reference to the federal deficit spending that will likely finance the federal stimulus package. “We’re moving precipitously close to what I would call a savior-based economy,” Sanford...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was set up to combat fraudulent practices. The SEC's website explains that "Ponzi schemes are a type of illegal pyramid scheme named for Charles Ponzi, who duped thousands of New England residents into investing in a postage stamp speculation scheme back in the 1920s." It goes on to say, "Decades later, the Ponzi scheme continues to work on the 'rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul' principle, as money from new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses." That is how the SEC described the recent Bernard Madoff $50 billion Ponzi scheme, "a...

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois gun owners could fall prey to a state bureaucracy that fails to process firearm owner's identification cards promptly. The state's tardiness leaves some otherwise law-abiding firearm owners vulnerable to criminal charges because FOID cards often expire while the state police are still processing renewals. Criminal charges can be filed against any resident who possesses a gun but does not have a valid FOID card. The Illinois State Police agency is required by law to process FOID applications within 30 days. But the process is taking up to 60 business days, according to agency spokesman Lt. Scott Compton....

Whereas, a number of proposals from previous administrations and some now pending from the present administration and from Congress may further violate the Constitution of the United States. Therefore Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, that: 1. That the State of Arizona hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States. 2. That this Resolution serves as notice and demand to the federal government, as our...

The Republican Party of the 1920's swept into power during a financial crisis. Errors in the Fed’s monetary policy in 1919 in kept rates too low to benefit the sale of Victory bonds. The Fed then tightened excessively due to inflation, creating a financial shock and depression from 1920 to 1921. At that time, the Republican Party viewed increasing tariffs as good policy. Thus, during the sixty seventh Congress, the Emergency Tariff Act of 1921 was passed as a temporary measure until a more comprehensive measure could be drafted. Ultimately, Fordney-McCumber passed in 1922, imposing an ad valorem rate of...

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint proposed an amendment Thursday to overturn a provision in the stimulus bill that prohibits renovation funding for schools that allow religious worship in their facilities. BY CRISTINA CORBIN Republican Sen. Jim DeMint proposed an amendment Thursday to kill a provision in the Senate stimulus bill that prohibits renovation money for schools that allow religious groups to meet on campus. DeMint proposed the amendment after the provision was passed in the Democratic-controlled House despite unanimous Republican opposition. The amendment is expected to be voted on Thursday, an aide to the senator told FOXNews.com. DeMint and others who...

BY BONNIE ALBA In just six months the so-called movers and shakers in our nation's Capitol have managed to, and continue to add to, an impossible burden of National Debt on the backs of present and future generations. In effect they have murdered the "Republic for which we stand." The most serious questions that can be asked: Does the U.S. Constitution provide the Congress and the President 1) this unprecedented power? 2) bailing out all manner of capitalist businesses, the banking system, homeowners or any other combo you might name? Throughout the 20th century, thoughtful citizens observed as Congress and...

Statement of Congressman Ron Paul United States House of Representatives Statement on Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act Madame Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to restore financial stability to America's economy by abolishing the Federal Reserve. Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, middle and working-class Americans have been victimized by a boom-and-bust monetary policy. In addition, most Americans have suffered a steadily eroding purchasing power because of the Federal Reserve's inflationary policies. This represents a real, if hidden, tax imposed on the American people. From the Great Depression, to the stagflation of the seventies, to the current economic crisis...

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and House Republican leaders announced an agreement Thursday on a bill that would curb smoking in most public eateries and bars. The bill represents a compromise between the Democratic governor's longtime backing for an outright ban on all smoking in bars and restaurants and traditional Republican opposition to mandated smoking restrictions. If passed, the measure will ban smoking except in private clubs and inside walled-off areas of restaurants designated for smoking and served by a ventilation system separate from the one that serves nonsmoking parts of the establishment. In announcing the accord, House Speaker William J....

Collateral raid damage In January 2007, a SWAT team in Lima, Ohio, shot and killed Tarika Wilson, a 26-year-old mother, during a drug raid at the home of her boyfriend, Anthony Terry. When the unarmed Wilson was shot, she was kneeling on the ground, complying with police orders. She was holding her 1-year-old son, Sincere, who was also shot, losing his left hand. A subsequent investigation revealed that Officer Joseph Chavalia heard another officer shooting Terry’s two dogs, mistook the noise for hostile gunfire, panicked, and fired blindly into the room where Wilson was kneeling. Chavalia was charged with involuntary...

In defending this stimulus, President Obama made this remarkable statement. So then you get the argument, well, this is not a stimulus bill, this is a spending bill. What do you think a stimulus is? (Laughter and applause.) That's the whole point. No, seriously. (Laughter.) That's the point. So, President Obama believes that government spending is stimulus. If he really does believe this then we are all in trouble. Now, government spending could be stimulative however 1) it depends on where and when it is spent and 2)government spending is NOT the only way to be stimulative.

An IRS survey finds that nearly nine in 10 Americans think it is "not at all" acceptable to cheat on your taxes. Although the survey was conducted in late August, its release comes as Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama's nominee to be Health and Human Services secretary, has acknowledged failing to pay more than $120,000 in taxes. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had similar problems on a smaller scale.

"They hit the door right here and the door flew open," says Mike Hasenei, standing outside his Elkridge home. His wife, Phyllis, was watching television with her 12-year old daughter when members of the Howard County Police Tactical Team came through the door. "They had guns pointed at us. You have 25 guys coming in here all dressed in black and all that we saw were their eyes, and they're screaming 'Hands in the air!'" Members of the team were acting upon a tip that an assault rifle, magazines and hollow-point bullets stolen from a marked police car the night...

NEW YORK – As the Obama administration attempts to push through Congress a nearly $1 trillion deficit spending plan that is weighted heavily toward advancing typically Democratic-supported social welfare programs, a rebellion against the growing dominance of federal control is beginning to spread at the state level. So far, eight states have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, including Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington. Analysts expect that in addition, another 20 states may see similar measures introduced this year, including Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho,...

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Former presidential candidate Ron Paul criticized President Obama's economic recovery proposal but said Saturday that blame for the financial crisis is deep-seated and includes Republicans who failed to hold the line on spending during the Bush administration. He also offered a harsh critique of the three Republican senators who have said they will vote for the economic recovery proposal. A vote is scheduled for early next week. Paul, a Republican representative from Texas who sought the GOP nomination for president, said that although some people call Obama's plan to jumpstart the economy a "stimulus package," he...

TENAHA — A two-decade-old state law that grants authorities the power to seize property used in a crime is wielded by some agencies against people who are never charged with, much less convicted, of a crime. Law enforcement authorities in this East Texas town of 1,000 people seized property from at least 140 motorists between 2006 and 2008, and, to date, filed criminal charges against fewer than half, according to a San Antonio Express-News review of court documents. Virtually anything of value was up for grabs: cash,.......... ------------------------- This is an excerpt for free and open discussion. Go to provided...

Libertarians stand alone with voters against Senate plan LP recommends tax relief for families and employers WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s third largest party tonight urged Senate Republicans and Democrats to scrap plans their joint plans for a $780 billion package of wealth transfers and expanded government spending. “Poll after poll shows voters agree with the Libertarian Party. Employers and families need tax relief to create jobs and save,” said William Redpath, Libertarian National Committee chairman. “What they don’t need is politicians exploiting their fears to explode the size of government and burden our children with billions in new debt.” Recent...

Press Release For Immediate Release Friday, January 23, 2009 Barr hails Obama orders on Guantanamo, torture, tribunals Says steps start process to restore rule of law in America Former Republican Congressman and Libertarian Presidential Candidate, Bob Barr, today issued a statement praising executive orders signed yesterday by President Obama ordering the closure of the military detention center at Guantanamo, restoring the practice of treating detainees according to legal norms, firmly stopping the practice of waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques," and doing away with the military tribunals that denied fundamental due process to detainees since their creation shortly after...

Thirty years ago, future U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford led the committee that concluded that year-long mandatory civilian-service programs were politically infeasible. Wofford, however, did not give up on the idea. And as the nation prepares to mark tomorrow's annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, maybe what was infeasible then is workable today. What's changed? The economy, for one thing. Consider City Year. City Year corps members, young adults ages 17 to 24, volunteer for a year of service in cities throughout the country - usually in public schools - and receive a college scholarship in return. It was described...

Over one-out-of-five U.S. voters (22%) say the federal government should outlaw tobacco smoking, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Seventy percent (70%) disagree, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. That support should come as good news for the 15% of voters who currently smoke -- unless, of course, they’re trying to quit. Only 14% of smokers think tobacco smoking should be against the law. Eighty percent (80%) are opposed, and five percent (5%) aren’t sure. Twenty-two percent (22%) of former smokers say smoking should be outlawed, along with 23% of those who have never smoked. Generally, those...

Almost 500 years ago, on the wall of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, characterizing as "madness" the notion that papal pardons could absolve individuals for their sins. As viewed from Rome, Luther had maligned, even defamed, the church. Luther was eventually excommunicated. His conduct ultimately led to the creation of a Protestant Church in Germany and a Reformation throughout Europe. It is difficult to believe that in the 21st century anyone would seriously propose that conduct such as Luther's should be deemed illegal. But a few weeks ago, the General Assembly of the...

San Diego County filed papers this week asking the U.S. Supreme Court to erase California's medical marijuana law, arguing that federal prohibitions outlawing the substance supersede California's law allowing sick people to use it. The county is asking the nation's highest court to overturn a state appellate court's July decision upholding the voter-approved law legalizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes. "You have a conflict here between federal and state law, and we are in the middle," 5th District Supervisor Bill Horn said Friday. "What we have been asking all along is which takes precedence here. We will take it as...

Two New Hampshire GOP House members have added their names to a Legislative Service Requestion seeking to introduce a bill allowing red light cameras in the Granite State. House members Ken Hawkins (R-Bedford) and John A Graham (R-Bedford) have joined NH State Senator Sheila Roberge (R-Bedford) in sponsoring LSR 2009-S-0874-R, titled "authorizing the electronic enforcement of traffic signal violations." Red light cameras snap a digital photo of vehicles caught inside the intersection when the the signal changes from yellow to red, not just those entering the intersection after the signal changes to red. With no video to contest the situation...

To All My Valued Employees, There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against...

The list of businesses, organizations, celebrities, and other notable entities who actively support anti-2nd Amendment gun control laws and policies is far too long to post here. IIRC it has been previously posted, but I thought that in light of the tragic inauguration that will take place on the 20th day of this month unless Almighty God mercifully intervenes, perhaps it would be a good idea to review who and what businesses and orgs want to deny us our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. If you are interested in knowing who and/or what business or org wants to...

Dear Friends, Happy New Year. I hope this email finds you well. January has been quite active for us here at Americans for Tax Reform. The 111th Congress was less than a week old when the first tax increase was put on the table in spite of all promises made during the 2008 campaign. Congress intends to raise the federal excise tax on tobacco by as much as 61 cents per pack – a 156 percent increase that will disproportionately hurt lower- and middle-income taxpayers - in order to fund the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP),...

Most Americans are raised by the government. They are usually raised for more than 12 years in public schools that they are forced to pay for, and, for the financially restricted, forced to attend. Even if they are lucky enough to have a choice in education, they grow up bombarded by pervasive laws – and not just the necessary types that regulate traffic and criminal activity, but the types that ban certain “unhealthy” cooking, prohibit smoking on private property and order the use of helmets and seatbelts. It is therefore not surprising that many – too many – Americans reach...

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give toanybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend,...

Marijuana isn't known for being a friend to memory; its short-term effects notoriously impair recall. And although the data is conflicting, some studies link cannabis with memory deficits in those who use excessive doses for long periods of time But new research suggests that one of the active ingredients in marijuana—THC—and similar compounds could possibly prevent or even reverse one of the most devastating memory disorders of all: Alzheimer's disease.

The man arrested at Los Angeles International Airport with a trunk full of guns and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition said Saturday that he is a law-abiding weapons enthusiast who had no idea he might be breaking the law. A day after he was arrested for suspicion of felony transportation of an assault rifle, Phillip Dominguez said he's confident he'll be exonerated. "Our Second Amendment rights are being trampled in the name of law enforcement," Dominguez said. "I'm a law-abiding, taxpaying gun enthusiast. I have no felonies - up until now." (cont'd)

You've heard all about the disputes: "Silent Night" banned at the "holiday" program, artistic references to the Bible censored and faith-inclusive children's programs facing discrimination. Now some people are fed up with public school treatment of Christianity and have launched a campaign calling for a rescue of kids from government education programs – a "Call to Dunkirk."

HOME-SCHOOLING: U.N. treaty might weaken families Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association (Courtesy of hslda.org) One of the issues American families could face this year is the ramifications from a treaty called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). You may ask, "How could a treaty directly affect internal decision-making by American families?" We generally think of treaties as agreements affecting international relations between countries. The U.N., however, has initiated treaties that not only affect international relations, but also the domestic relations of member nations as well. These treaties, sometimes called "conventions,"...

The Amish families claim the town of Morristown has refused to issue building permits that would allow them to practice their religion and build homes according to their beliefs. "The U.S. Constitution, and legal precedent all the way to the Supreme Court, are clear. The Amish, who are known throughout the world as master craftsmen and master builders, have the right to practice their beliefs. That includes building and living in homes that conform to those beliefs," Rassbach said. Before 2006, the Swartzentruber Amish in Morristown were granted building permits and allowed to build their structures according to traditional standards...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Vic Scuderi is loaded with weaponry. His booth is stocked full of customers who are looking to wipe out his arsenal of firearms. It's business he won't shoot down. "I've probably seen a 25 percent increase in sales from last year," said Scuderi. While the economy may be wounded, gun dealers say sales are exploding at the annual Arms Fair at the City Center in Saratoga Springs. "This is my best show ever. I've sold more ammunition and more magazines than I've ever sold, so in that regard it's been a very good show for me,"...

Although president-elect Barack Obama has stated that he is opposed to the reimposition of the so-called Fairness Doctrine, it remains to be seen if he can resist the pressure of Congress to bring back a measure that many on the left favor because they claim it will "Hush Rush." Leading the charge for bringing back the Fairness Doctrine is Congresswoman Anna Eshoo of California. According to this report, Eshoo not only wants to bring it back but to extend it to absurdly include cable and satellite where public airwaves are not even involved: Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said Monday...

Update - 12/13/08 - the trial date we hear has been postponed to a later date. If someone disagreed with you about an article or story you published and then complained to the police who came into your business and arrested you for disorderly conduct, would that incident be newsworthy? What if the police arrested you for disorderly conduct while you were exercising any other constitutionally protected right because someone did not want you to exercise your right? Would you want to tell the people of Wisconsin how fragile it is to exercise their rights? Once arrested, do you think...

My interview ("le blog drzz", a French conservative website) of Ishmael Jones, former CIA operative in the National Clandestine Service (1987-2005). "I’m concerned that the Democrats view the CIA as a political ally and are not aware of the danger we face from poor intelligence. The CIA provided Democrats with plentiful anti-Bush information during the Bush years, and nearly cut down President Bush with the Plame incident and the Iraq WMD controversies." READ THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW (see link). Ishmael Jones (pseudonym) is a former member of the Central Intelligence Agency. He joined the agency in the 1980s, where he served...

There is a question out there as to whether or not Barack Obama meets the Constitutional requirements to be President. This is a serious issue. If we are not to follow the Constitution then the document is nothing more than a historical piece of paper. From what I've read there are two questions being raised. One is that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. The other is that he holds dual citizenship. One or the other if true would disqualify Barack Obama becoming our next President. Shouldn't we have an answer now before he is sworn into...

A professional man, named Paul Nawrocki made to the top page of CNN because of his unique way of seeking for a job. Yesterday it was revealed the the U.S. economy lost a staggering 533,000 jobs in November. Today's its not a surprise that the homeless and jobless professionals will find innovative ways to seek jobs in this declining economy. Paul Nawrocki, who says he is beyond the point where he cares about humiliation, has found a desperate, but innovative way. CNN writes: "Almost homeless," reads the sign. "Looking for employment. Very experienced operations and administration manager." Wearing a suit...

WASHINGTON - In the last month of the presidential campaign, it was one of Barack Obama and Joe Biden's strongest attack lines: John McCain, they warned, would "tax your healthcare benefits for the first time ever." But now, some Congressional Democrats in charge of health reform are talking about doing just that. They would not go as far as McCain, who wanted to end the tax exclusion entirely for employer-sponsored insurance, which excludes money spent by employees and their employers on health benefits from income and payroll taxes. But some key Democrats are talking about limiting the benefit for workers,...

When government spits the bit on spending, it really spits the bit. According to the running tab CNBC keeps, the feds as of Nov. 18 had spent, allocated, guaranteed, loaned or otherwise devoted $4.3 trillion to the economic meltdown. That's about 25 percent more than this year's entire federal budget, but you don't hear much serious talk in Washington these days about real spending reductions, do you? Until last week, that tab was dwarfed by the $9 trillion in personal wealth that Americans have lost since the start of the Chris Dodd Bear Market 14 months ago. But on Monday,...

ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis city leader frustrated with the police response to rising crime called Tuesday on residents to arm themselves to protect their lives and property. Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe said police are ineffective, outnumbered or don't care about the increase in crime in his north St. Louis ward. St. Louis has had 157 homicides in 2008, 33 more than last year at this time.

Imagine the frustration of the first Yankees, struggling mightily to convince their Puritanical brethren that private property — not communal wealth-sharing — brings prosperity, freedom and enlightenment. Were they mocked, burned as witches or simply ignored? How did they eventually sway the masses to their view? Not just temporarily, in a fine-whatever kind of agreement, but as the kind of deep change that, within just a handful of generations, saw the Puritans evolve into the rugged Yankees that would pen the world's first written constitution, establish individual freedoms, protect private property and free speech and eventually revolt against the British?...

I often brag to folks about living in Kennesaw, Georgia. “We have a big sign out here when you enter the city limits.” I tell them, “It says ‘Welcome to Kennesaw, We’re Packin’. Packin’ heat that is.” Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com In 1981, Morton Grove, IL passed a law prohibiting citizens within the city limits to own firearms. In response, the city council of Kennesaw, GA unanimously passed a city ordinance in 1982 requiring heads of households to own at least one firearm with ammunition. The crime rate in Kennesaw at the time was already quite low, with only...

http://www.reason.comhttp://www.reason.com/blog/show/130429.html Gotcha! Radley Balko | December 6, 2008, 1:28pm Like Mark Draughn, I've been somewhat skeptical of Barry Cooper, the former drug cop turned pitchman for how-to-beat-the-cops videos. He comes off as more of a huckster than a principled whistle-blower, which I think does the good ideas he stands for (police reform) more harm than good. But damn. I have to hand it to him. This might be one of the ballsiest moves I've ever seen. KopBusters rented a house in Odessa, Texas and began growing two small Christmas trees under a grow light similar to those used for growing...

When police raided Tory MP Damian Green’s home, they ‘sheepishly’ asked whether children were present before ransacking it. His wife assumed they were being polite. But, under sinister new guidelines, officers must assess all children they encounter – including while ‘searching premises’ – for a police database called MERLIN. This, in turn, feeds into a giant new Whitehall database on Britain’s children, Contact Point, which goes live nationally in January. The Tories have vowed to scrap it, arguing that it threatens family privacy and children’s safety. But civil liberties campaigners say we must resist it now, before it is too...

Swat Team conducts food raid in rural Ohio December 4, 2008 See also Community Policing, http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/Community-Policing.htm and Training an army of world servers http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/1-service.htm Home http://www.crossroad.to/index.html "Over the past 20 years Congress has encouraged the U.S. military to supply intelligence, equipment, and training to civilian police. That encouragement has spawned a culture of paramilitarism in American law enforcement. The 1980s and 1990s have seen marked changes in the number of state and local paramilitary units, in their mission and deployment, and in their tactical armament." –Cato Institute. http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/#paramilitary "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve...

Obama said: "What we need to do is examine: What are the projects where we're going to get the most bang for the buck? How are we going to make sure taxpayers are protected?

If Republicans are going to be competitive moving forward, we need to recognize that we’ve lost certain people to the minor parties that we need back. We need small government advocates for freedom to return to the Republican Party, because as of right now, the Republicans are advocating for more government intervention that some Democrats. Republicans have become the part of big government and we need to change that. The type of person we need back is Wayne Allyn Root. Root’s issues ‘My political career began in 1964 at age 3 when I handed out campaign literature for Barry Goldwater...