Free Republic

Is it just me, or does anyone else out there wonder why the mainstream media is gushing over Gov. Chris Christie? The Washington Post got all wee-weed up over his decisive win in New Jersey last week. The New York Times planted a big kiss on his chubby tookus. The networks in Manhattan all ran a variation of “Boy, this guy is really something, huh?” (snip) In coronating the rotund governor as the next sure-fire GOP presidential nominee in 2016, none of the mainstream media pointed out his stances on issues that they no doubt hate: Mr. Christie vetoed a...

Who do you trust to run the US Federal Government? The Democrats have chosen to over-spend our money without a budget for 5 years. The Democrats have chosen to not Impeach Obama in spite of his Dereliction of Duty as CIC during and after the Benghazi Massacre. The Democrats have chosen to approve of spying on those they do not trust which is all of the American People, and all of the people in Germany, France and Spain. Who among us can trust the Democrat politicians who obviously do not trust any of us legal citizens?

President Obama on Tuesday expressed openness to large-scale discussions with Republicans on entitlements, taxes and a host of other hot-button issues. He even offered to buy them dinner — but only after the government is reopened and the nation’s debt ceiling is raised. In a rare appearance before reporters in the White House press room, a visibly frustrated Mr. Obama again called on House Speaker John Boehner to call a vote on a “clean” bill to reopen Washington.

As Congress debates whether to authorize a strike on Syria in response to Bashar Assad´s use of chemical weapons, much has been said and written about America´s special role in the world. Simply put, the blessings of prosperity obligate the U.S. to enforce the peace it seeks. There is no nobler duty. If the U.S. is unwilling to use its strength to respond to Assad´s crimes, then the defenseless will continue to be slaughtered in Syria, and America risks having similar atrocities visited upon its citizens. To allow the use of weapons of mass destruction to go unanswered would be...

U.S. officials have given the thumbs-up to four Chinese poultry plants, paving the way for the country to send processed chicken to American markets, according to audit reports obtained by POLITICO. The audit reports expected to be made public Friday show that the Chinese processing plants passed U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections performed in March and the positive results make it likely the foreign producers soon will become eligible to export to the U.S According to the audit, at first, China will only be able to process chicken that has been slaughtered in the U.S. or other certified countries.

War should occur only when America is attacked, when it is threatened or when American interests are attacked or threatened. I don’t think the situation in Syria passes that test. Even the State Department argues that “there’s no military solution here that’s good for the Syrian people, and that the best path forward is a political solution.” The United States should not fight a war to save face. I will not vote to send young men and women to sacrifice life and limb for stalemate. I will not vote to send our nation’s best and brightest to fight for anything...

Regardless of what Barack Obama is saying he, and not the world or humanity, drew a red line in the sand regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Now that either the Syrian government, or the al-Qaeda rebels we are about to support, used chemical weapons Barack Obama is seeking authorization from the Congress to conduct military operations in the war-torn country. The president is assuring the Congress, and the American people, that this will be a limited strike and will include no boots on the ground in Syria, however when John Kerry was pressed on this he hedged...

PITTSBURGH —A Pennsylvania congressman traveled to Pittsburgh International Airport in a driverless car designed by Carnegie Mellon University. Rep. Bill Shuster, a Republican from Altoona, made the 33-mile trip at about 11 a.m. Wednesday. Shuster is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and he was accompanied by Barry Schoch, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. A Carnegie Mellon engineer was in the driver's seat as a safety precaution, but the Cadillac SXR was driven along local roads and highways by a computer system which uses inputs from radars, lidars and infrared cameras.

A New Lenox man found guilty of throwing punches that left his victim paralyzed, blind and unable to speak was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months of probation and ordered to turn over the $20,000 his family put up for his bond to the victim's mother. Joseph Messina, 25, faced up to 10 years in prison, but Will County Judge Sarah Jones said prosecutors failed to provide enough evidence to overcome the presumption of probation. Family members of Eric Bartels, the man left paralyzed by the punches, gasped when Jones said she was sentencing Messina to probation. "I'm very disappointed with...

It's one of the more interesting what-ifs of the past few decades. What would have happened if both George W. and Jeb Bush had won their gubernatorial bids in 1994? Which brother would have run for President in 2000 against Al Gore? Late in George W. Bush's second presidential term, I asked his father this question. The senior Bush shrugged, waving off the hypothetical. "Who knows?" he replied. "Didn't happen." Then, after the briefest of pauses, the 41st President added, "If Jeb wants his shot, he should have it. He's done the work, been a governor--a very fine governor, I...

And at Number 129, up 9 steps from #138 in February is (Drum Roll Please)... !!!!MOTUS!!!! Big Hugs and Thanks to all My MOLs, MODs, MYLs, MYDs, FOMs and all the wonderful people who link to my little blog on their websites and in comments around the intertubes!!! Special thanks to Doug Ross who tirelessly compiles the rankings and Linx to me regularly!!! Come Over to Celebrate!!!

In an exclusive sit-down interview with The Brody File, Jeb Bush began to sketch out his case for President of the United States if he decides to run next year. “It will be based on my record. And that record was one of solving problems from completely from a conservative perspective. I cut taxes every year, I shrunk the size of government,” Jeb Bush tells The Brody File. And as for his critics who say he’s too mainstream establishment he offers this: “I will be able to, I think, manage my way through all the chirpers out there.” We sat...

Senator Rand Paul, a conservative Republican whose vote is being courted by supporters of a broad U.S. immigration bill, said on Sunday he is open to voting for the measure but wants changes, including tougher border security requirements. Paul, who has hinted at an interest in running for president in 2016, in March backed the concept of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that is at the heart of a comprehensive immigration bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate. But Paul, of Kentucky, has also criticized some elements of the bill, saying it should provide a mechanism for assuring...

On Memorial Day weekend, 2 million people marched in protests against seed giant Monsanto for the purpose of bringing awareness to hazards from genetically modified food, which it and other companies manufacture. Organizer Tami Canal said protests were held in 436 cities in 52 countries. Genetically modified plants are grown from genetically modified, or engineered, seeds, which are created to resist insecticides and herbicides so that crops can be grown to withstand a weed-killing pesticide or integrate a bacterial toxin that can ward off pests. The Chicago Tribune reported that because genetically modified organisms are not listed on food or...

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's wife says her husband would make a good president. But in an interview Friday on NBC's "Today" show, first lady Mary Pat Christie said the family is not plotting a 2016 presidential run now. She says that she and Chris Christie have talked about their options for the future. She says they'll talk more about what the future holds after the Republican's re-election campaign. Christie is expected to face Democratic State Sen. Barbara Buono in the November election. Gov. Christie, who has been racing up and down the shore opening...

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...