Free Republic

I confess that it took me awhile to convert to the Church of Pete. But now, I’m listening to the sermons. And I’m becoming a believer. This is not to say that the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind. — who recently entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — is my choice. It’s too early to pick a horse in this race. All are playing to their strengths. But the weaknesses have yet to be revealed; the likable candidate might not be very smart, and the smart one might prove to be not very likable. All I know...

Today the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Navarette v California, a case in which a wrong decision will effectively repeal the 4th Amendment rights of the American people. The text of the 4th Amendment reads: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled that “…law enforcement...

Several weeks ago, after a column critical of President Barack Obama, a woman wrote to say that she agreed with me. Then she said something I certainly did not agree with, bemoaning the fact that, thanks to Obama, her grandchildren would grow up with a “different image of what a president looks like” than the one she had a child. It’s tempting to lump that reader in with the pitiful souls – some in the tea party movement – who resent the idea of a black president because they’re terrified at how fast the country is changing and unsure of...

(snip) I know the answer. It's my fault. It's because of me, and tens of millions of other Americans just like me. We create the demand for illegal immigrant labor not because of anything we do but because of all the things that we will not do -- at any wage. Even as someone who juggles several jobs, I have to admit that my work ethic -- especially for hard, physical labor -- is a distant second to that of my immigrant grandfather who came from Mexico legally in the early 1900's. My grandfather was a farm worker who would...

Presidential candidates who seem to change positions as they change audiences should avoid accusing others of flip-flopping. It makes them look silly. That's the lesson for John McCain, who has criticized Barack Obama for reversing his views on campaign finance and easing off his keep-up-with- Hillary-Clinton opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Obama also flip-flopped on building hundreds of miles of fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border; the Illinois Democrat voted for the fence before he was against it. “This election is about trust and trusting people's word,” McCain recently told supporters in Louisville, Ky. “And unfortunately, apparently on...

For Christmas, nearly a dozen readers sent me the same gift, an article about goings on in the Southwest: "Illegal immigrants packing up and leaving Arizona." According to the article, illegal immigrants are fleeing the Grand Canyon State because of an "oppressive environment" and the fear that the undocumented won't be able to find work after this week, when a tough employer-sanctions law takes effect. It's a restrictionist dream come true. Many of those who say they've had a bellyful of illegal immigration claim that, if we dried up the jobs, illegal immigrants would simply "self-deport." I've written that this...

SAN DIEGO -- Folks say this border city has been brazenly invaded by an unsavory and disruptive element that opportunistically puts its own interests before the greater good. I never believed it -- until lately. But what can I say now that America's Finest City is crawling with Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who have come here to hold hearings on immigration reform? San Diego plays host this week to the first of a series of public hearings on this combustible issue. The first hearing -- "Border Vulnerabilities and International Terrorism'' -- will be led by Rep....