Free Republic

A man being robbed at gunpoint at 5 a.m. Saturday morning in New Orleans turned the tables on his attacker when he managed to grab the shotgun, causing the attacker to flee. The confrontation was captured by surveillance footage from a nearby security camera. According to WWL.com, the victim-turned-vigilante wasn't done yet.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul is calling for conservatives to embrace the cause of immigration reform, outlining a proposal that would grant some form of legal status to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants after the federal government has certified that the border is secure. Paul’s proposal, outlined in a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Tuesday, carefully avoided the term citizenship. Instead, the Kentucky senator said he sought a middle ground that would include a multi-year process of granting visas to undocumented workers that would hinge on the annual verification of the security of the...

With Senate support for the Manchin-Toomey "compromise" continuing to slide, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) appear willing to revert to gimmicks to try to squeak the bill through. (snip) To stop the momentum shift before it is too late, Manchin and Toomey are "considering the possibility of adding language to the bill that would exempt select far-flung communities in Alaska and North Dakota from some background check requirements." They hope this would win the votes of Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), as well Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). If being exempted from the bill is what...

A A spokesperson for the Boston Police Department said no suspects have been taken into custody yet after the bombing at the Boston Marathon. "At this time, we haven't been notified of any arrests or anyone apprehended," the spokesperson said. The New York Post reported that a "Saudi national who suffered shrapnel wounds in today's blast" has been identified as "a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing." The Boston PD spokesperson did not confirm that report. "Honestly, I don't know where they're getting their information from, but it didn't come from us," said the spokesperson.

Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, might make it a political trifecta for the Clinton dynasty. The former first daughter who currently works as a "special correspondent" with NBC, told that station in an interview on Monday that if she feels at some point in her life that she could make an impact on America, she would consider running for political office. "Right now, I'm grateful to live in a city and a state and a country where I strongly support my mayor, my governor, my president and my senators...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/07/17/boy-scouts-reaffirm-gay-ban-after-2-year-review/ NEW YORK (AP) — After a confidential two-year review, the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday emphatically reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays, ruling out any changes despite relentless protest campaigns by some critics. An 11-member special committee, formed discreetly by top Scout leaders in 2010, “came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts,” the organization’ national spokesman, Deron Smith, told The Associated Press. Smith said the committee, comprised of professional scout executives and adult volunteers, was unanimous in its conclusion – preserving a long-standing policy that was upheld by the...

The Republican Party needs to broaden its appeal by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war," U.S. Sen. Rand Paul told hundreds of Greater Cincinnati Republicans Saturday. "We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue," the Kentucky Republican said at the Northeast Hamilton County Republican Club's annual pancake breakfast at the Sharonville Convention Center. To help the party rebound from two successive losses in presidential races, Republicans must find...

Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today delivered the following statement on the bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform released today with Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ):  “The introduction of these principles is the first step in what will be a very difficult, but achievable, reform to our immigration system.  “No one here needs reminding that the last major attempt at immigration reform was over six years ago. Now we will again attempt to commit the remaining resources needed to secure the border, modernize and streamline...

Former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan says he supports "the principles" of an immigration reform proposal from Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a sign that the party may be coalescing around its own plan to overhaul the nation's laws."Senator Rubio is exactly right on the need to fix our broken immigration system," the congressman wrote on his Facebook page on Monday, with a link to a Wall Street Journal article that includes Rubio's key immigration goals. "I support the principles he’s outlined: modernization of our immigration laws; stronger security to curb illegal immigration; and respect for the rule of law...

Yesterday, Diane Sawyer asked John Boehner in an interview if he planned to push for repeal of Obamacare. He responded that “the election changes that” and “Obamacare is the law of the land.” No, Mr. Boehner, the Constitution is the law of the Republic. In April 2011, following the failure of Republicans to defund Obamacare during the first budget battle, I wrote the following at Red State: If it is reckless to shut down the government over Obamacare, then there is nothing in the budget worth fighting for. Due to the degree of entrenchment of the existing entitlement, even Paul...

Or would you have still backed Cain/Gingrich/Santorum/Christie/Palin (whoever your choice was from before or during the primary). I think it's an interesting question. Mitt wasn't my first choice, but am glad that he is doing so well. Would you now prefer Mitt over another who may or may not have done as well? Of course, I myself am a completely committed supporter of Mitt Romney since the primary was decided.

Does it make sense to elect a compromised candidate to the Senate?Elizabeth Warren the Marxist sounding law professor of Harvard is running for the Senate, but the Senate is probably running from her. Positions of power offer many opportunities for corruption and it is extremely hard for an honest man to resist the temptation. Bringing in a corrupt lawyer who already is compromised in terms of honesty and integrity is a forlorn hope at reestablishing the reputation of the Senate. Will the Senate be jaded enough to accept a new member who has already displayed a lack of integrity, but...

The Obama administration has released details of a plan to infuse another $300 million into West Bank and Gaza construction projects, spending it deems critical toward attaining the “success of a future Palestinian state.” Despite combined U.S. and international donor-community efforts, a significant portion of the public infrastructure currently under Palestinian Authority control remains in need of expansion or repair, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development, the USAID. Obama, through USAID, is stepping in to meet the need as a successful Palestinian state “depends upon an infrastructure system capable of providing basic services to a growing population,” the...

"....but this stuff is not being said in an extremist corner of the internet — it’s being said in a middle-class suburban salon in an area where 30% (or more) of the businesses are now shuttered, and houses are being foreclosed upon and then re-occupied seemingly overnight, creating what the stylist called “a neighborhood full of changes and no hope. Forget about new small businesses,” he said, gesturing across the street, where a small food shop’s “opening soon” banner had become sun-faded and worn, even as the door remained locked. “That guy is never going to open.” “I can’t get...

<p>In recent decades the Republican Party has made a person’s religious beliefs an issue for election to political office, despite the First Amendment to the Constitution explicitly forbidding this [bullshit misstatement of the 1st amendment].</p> <p>For the Republicans, that requirement is a person must be a Christian. Mitt Romney has chosen staunch Roman Catholic Paul Ryan as his running mate. That should help divert some of the concern about Romney himself being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — a Mormon.</p>

I would like to address an issue that is apparently of concern to a significant number of people. In my “Ask Fred” column, several people have expressed concern (some have been adamant and angry) that Marco Rubio should not be selected as the Vice Presidential nominee because he would not be eligible to be President, if the need arose. They contend that at least one of his parents were required at the time of his birth to have been a citizen for him to fulfill the constitutional requirement of eligibility, even though he was born on American soil.

No degree guarantees that a college graduate will earn more over a lifetime than a high school student. Worse still, there are many degrees where the average high school graduate will likely out-earn a college graduate. If you’ve ever wanted to know the two main reasons why Americans decide not to go to college, the St. Louis Fed presented two convincing explanations. The more frightening of the two scenarios showed that, for students paying their own tuition, most will need a starting salary of $40,000 or better to overcome lifetime earnings of high school graduates. How can it be that...

Jeb Bush gave an impassioned endorsement of fellow Floridian Marco Rubio, advising Mitt Romney to pick him as his running mate and describing him as “the most articulate conservative elected official on the scene today,” and even spoke of the “great pride” he has for the U.S. senator from his home state. “Marco Rubio is my favorite [choice], because we have a close relationship,” the former Florida governor told Charlie Rose in an interview that aired on his PBS show Thursday evening. “I admire him greatly … He speaks with great passion about American exceptionalism. I think he would lift...

Do you agree with President Obama's proposed federal budget? Yes, it's the best road to recovery Maybe, but it needs more spending cuts No. No new taxes Deficit spending spells disaster Other (tell us in the comments)

And we're the ones, the old-fashioned conservatives, we want to deny people a good time, we want to deny people fun, we want to deny people all these things in life. So we have yet another example of life in America under the thumb of an ever-expanding state with central planning, otherwise known as "well-intentioned liberalism." From violating religious rights where there is no power permitted to do so, to mandating the purchase of products, to now mandating insurance companies sell certain products at a price that's also mandated, from czars, to denying the right to travel, it's all here....

Al Cardenas, head of the American Conservative Union, has said that Republican turmoil might lead to a brokered convention in which Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, would emerge as a “possible alternative” party nominee. Mr Cardenas, who is running this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering in Washington of some 10,000 conservatives, told MailOnline that it was not certain that one of the four current Republican candidates would emerge victorious. His comments came as Republicans fretted publicly about the perceived weaknesses of Mitt Romney, the establishment choice and frontrunner, Rick Santorum, surprise winner in three states on Tuesday,...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Pete, South Hold, New York, glad you waited, welcome to the EIB Network, sir. Hello. CALLER: Hey, Rush how you doing? I love you. RUSH: Thank you, sir, very good. Thank you very much. CALLER: You're the only thing that keeps me sane, but after 25 years of watching politics, listening to you, I'm giving up. I've come to the realization that people aren't misinformed or ill-informed. They're just plain stupid. RUSH: Yeah. CALLER: Obama's got 48% approval rating. Who are these people? What planet do they live on? RUSH: That happens to correspond to the number...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell operates with a steely resolve, a political discipline that leaves nothing to chance. A childhood bout with polio instilled in him an enormous capacity for patience. And for 25 years in Congress, the Kentucky Republican has waited for the moment now before him: the chance to become Senate majority leader. With four seats needed to flip the chamber, or three if a Republican is elected president (because the vice president could break a tie), the GOP has its best opportunity in years to gain full control of Congress. But McConnell and his party must first...

Christie is leaving the door open. "If Gov. Romney comes to me and wants to have a talk about that, we'll have a full conversation about that and then Mary Pat and I will make that decision about what we want to do with our future," Christie said in a Fox News interview before Christmas. "But my view is, I think if you fast-forward the tape to a year from now, I think it's going to be President-elect Romney and some other VP-elect - and Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey." Christie repeatedly has said he would not be...

National conservative leaders are wondering who, if anyone, can stop Mitt Romney from walking off with the Republican nomination after his narrow win in Iowa and his expected comfortable victory in New Hampshire next week. The name that keeps surfacing is Rick Perry, which says a lot about the desperation that the anti-Romney forces are feeling now. [snip] Perry insiders say that the plausible course forward for the candidate is to make this a one-on-one race with Mr. Romney so that the conservative vote doesn't split in two, three or four ways. South Carolina has a history of deciding the...

If Rick Perry leaves the Republican race, there will not be a candidate in the field who authentically represents smaller government. While many conservatives don’t mind activist government so long as the ends are conservative, the willful use of activist government for conservative ends leaves in place a government perfectly capable of activist liberal government when conservatives lose. The only way to fully turn the tide of big government is therefore to support someone who is willing to scale back government. Unfortunately, the only candidate with both an agenda to significantly cut government and a record of actually doing so...

(CNN) -- Based on recent history and what's likely to happen to the nation's infrastructure, it's an inescapable conclusion: We will need new and different sources of funding if we are to have the type of transportation system that is needed to support economic prosperity. For the past 75 years, the U.S. road network has provided the foundation for much of the nation's economic development. This network has not come without a cost; estimates are that the replacement value of the nation's roads is $1.3 trillion.

[No to Gay Adoption] Three Illinois bishops have announced that they are ending their legal appeal against legislation requiring equal treatment for same-sex couples in adoption and foster-care services. “It is with deep regret that we have decided to relinquish our appeals in the litigation concerning the provision of foster care and adoption services by Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Joliet and Springfield in Illinois and by Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois in the Diocese of Belleville,” the bishops of the three dioceses said in a joint statement. “This lawsuit had sought clarification as to whether the...

Cain-Palin 2012 - YouTube

Kind of funny look at Sarah's announcement, by Jon Stewart.

Thug. (TPM) — Teamsters union president James Hoffa would say it all again if he could, he told TPM Monday. Hoffa riled up Fox News and the right wing Monday with a Labor Day speech in Detroit in which he called Republican members of Congress “sons of bitches” and said union workers are ready to “go to war” with the tea party next year and “take out” Republicans at the ballot box. Hoffa said he’d say the exact same words all over again. “I would because I believe it,” he said. “They’ve declared war on us. We didn’t declare war...

CONCORD, N.H. -- More than 25 protesters turned out before a Tea Party Express rally this evening to protest not President Obama, but Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. “We do not need leadership that puts their finger up, sees which way the wind’s blowing and then all of a sudden changes their mind and goes back in that direction,” Tim Carter, a leader of the Lakes Region Tea Party in New Hampshire. “If you look at Mitt’s past voting record, I think that’s what you’re going to see.” “When you come to less government, which the Tea Party stands for,...

In the postnomination chaos of the 1960 Democratic Convention, John F. Kennedy, a Massachusetts liberal (and a Catholic to boot), realized that Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, his erstwhile rival for the nomination, had something that he needed: entree to a then-Democratic South that was inherently suspicious of liberals and Catholics. Thus was born the Austin-Boston connection. For JFK, that connection was a lifeline to the White House. These days, it is the GOP that may give serious consideration to a reconstituted Austin-Boston connection: A New England politician with a suspiciously moderate past (and a Mormon to boot) may...

Twelve hours removed from a controversy about his suggestion that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was engaging in “treasonous” behavior Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential campaign didn’t try to walk back the remark. In fact, they doubled down on it. “I am passionate about the issue but I stand by what I said,” Perry told reporters in Iowa today. Although Perry’s campaign is only a few days old, the episode provides a telling insight into the Texas governor: he is brash, bold and unapologetic about being so. And that just might make him a perfect fit for the current Republican primary...

Americans who care about the solvency of this nation ought to be seriously annoyed at the contempt for them shown by the Gang of Six “plan,” which even by the standards of “bipartisan” deal-making is a total joke. Even if you take seriously their figure of $3.7 trillion in savings over ten years, that represents a clawback across a decade of about two years of current deficits. If you take Jeff Sessions’s figure of $1.2 trillion in savings over ten years as being closer to the mark, that takes a decade to reverse about three-quarters of the 2011 deficit. Neither...

The number of Internet users worldwide has now surpassed two billion and so many of us have integrated the web into our lives so much that it's hard to quantify how much it's worth to us. But why not give it a shot? Think about it.

The GOP needs Marco Rubio on the Ticket in 2012 as VP. If we do not carry Florida and if we do not take some of the Hispanic vote away from Obama nation-wide, he might very well be reelected. We need enough votes to prevent the Chicago Thug-style Politics from stealing the Election. Don't think it can't happen. Remember how the Kennedys stole the 1960 Election from Nixon. The Question then arises: IS MARCO RUBIO CONSTITUTIONALLY ELIGIBLE? The answer is emphatically YES! So is Bobby Jindal. There are many authorities I could cite but I'll use one to conserve space...

Republicans recently have watched multiple Romneys at war with each other over abortion, ethanol, global warming, and more. Alas, this is nothing new. Various Romneys have battled themselves on issues as old as the Vietnam War. “I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam,” Hawkish Romney said in the June 24, 2007, Boston Globe while running as a conservative for 2008’s GOP nomination. But Romney sang a softer...

It is a truism of political dynasties that there is a chosen heir - the one who should or would or could have been next. It is certainly apt of the Bush family. Jeb Bush is the son who was groomed for the presidency. He was the one most Republicans expected to succeed his father into the Oval Office. And today, looking at their, let's be frank, lacklustre field, many Republicans still wish he would do just that. "It's very flattering to be asked that regularly," Jeb tells me in his office at the Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel. "I don't...

I figured Andrew Jackson is one the bad guys in history. And I believe people like Glenn Beck hate him. For one thing he was a democrat who help his party gain control that they had for a long time afterward. I figured he was instrumental into ruining the nation into what we have today. I maybe wrong, but I wanted to search him on this website and it seemes every article likes him a lot. How come? Do people like Andrew Jackson like they hate Abe Lincoln? Strange stuff.

Goshen - A small northern Indiana college has decided to stop playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at sporting events after starting to do so for the first time last year. Goshen College's board of directors says it will find an alternative that honors the country and the Mennonite Church-affiliated school's pacifist traditions. The 1,000-student college has been playing an instrumental version of the national anthem, followed by a peace prayer, before games and other events. Some were upset with the school's decision last year because the song's lyrics contain references to using war and military might to defend the country.

WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Jeff Landry (R, LA-03) released the following statement after he declined the President's invitation to the White House this morning: "I have respectfully declined the President's invitation to the White House today. I don't intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a President whose failed policies have put our children and grandchildren in a huge burden of debt. Over the past two years, President Obama and congressional Democrats have overseen the largest budget deficits in U.S. history. On top of that, the President's budget adds $1.3 trillion to our national debt every year for the...

This is just, of course, a prediction on my part but here's why: 1. As a former governor, he has executive experience and, from what I understand, he was a pretty good governor. After 4 years of Obozo's incompetence, the American people are longing for a competent administrator. 2. Unlike Romney, who still refuses to disavow Romneycare, Pawlenty came out of the gate admitting he was wrong on Cap and Trade. That was a smart move, and it takes takes that monkey off his back. And two other competing governors, Daniels and Huck, are out of the race. 3. Unlike...

EXETER, N.H. -- Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, officially entered the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination Friday. He said, "At this moment I'm officially announcing I am a candidate." "The time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I've been saying for 30 years so I think the time is right," he told ABC's "Good Morning America." Paul, 75, made the announcement ahead of a rally in Exeter, part of a two-day swing through New Hampshire following a stop in Iowa. The libertarian, who has already run twice for the presidency...

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday that he opposes a unilateral declaration of an establishment of a Palestinian state.

ATLANTA (AP) --- Newt Gingrich, the House speaker who led a national GOP resurgence in the 1990s before facing ethics questions and resigning, is running for president. Gingrich's announcement, made on social networking websites Monday, came after months of public flirting with a bid. He enters a slow-to-form GOP presidential field that has left some Republicans craving more options as they search for a nominee strong enough to credibly challenge President Barack Obama. The former Georgia congressman, well-known to most Republicans, brings to the race a years-in-the-making political machine with ties to early nominating states as well as a network...

The federal government has no strategy to counter the Muslim Brotherhood at home or abroad, according to the chairwoman of the House panel that oversees counterintelligence and terrorism. “The federal government does not have a comprehensive or consistent strategy for dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliated groups in America,” Rep. Sue Wilkins Myrick said during a hearing Wednesday. “Nor does it have a strategy for dealing with the Brotherhood in Egypt or the greater Middle East.” The North Carolina Republican is chairwoman of the House Intelligence subcommittee on terrorism, human intelligence, analysis and counterintelligence. Mrs. Myrick said at...

Presidential Proclamation--100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire On March 25, 1911, a fire spread through the cramped floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in lower Manhattan. Flames spread quickly through the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors -- overcrowded, littered with cloth scraps, and containing few buckets of water to douse the flames -- giving the factory workers there little time to escape. When the panicked workers tried to flee, they encountered locked doors and broken fire escapes, and were trapped by long tables and bulky machines. As bystanders watched in horror, young workers began jumping out of the...

WASHINGTON -Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday she does not want to stay in her job if President Barack Obama wins a second term in 2012. The nation's top diplomat also firmly said she neither has plans to mount another White House bid nor interest in other posts, such as vice president or defense secretary. Clinton, visiting Cairo, was asked whether she would stay on in a second Obama term. She also was asked if she would like the jobs of president, vice president or defense secretary. She offered single word responses to each: "No." Speculation about Clinton's...

Vote NO on the C.R. 202-224-3121 Call your member of Congress and say, "Vote No On the Continuing Resolution because it doesn't cut funding for Obamacare!" 202.224.3121