Free Republic

The burning heart of liberal activism and indignation this summer can be found, of all places, in the charming capital city of the Tar Heel State. On Monday, for the 11th week in a row, thousands of protesters descended on the copper-domed Capitol denouncing the policies of a Republican Party that for the first time since Reconstruction controls North Carolina´s governorship and legislature. Some 800 agitators have been arrested for disrupting the legislature. By all accounts, these "Moral Monday" rallies, though peaceful, are growing in size and volume. The rallies have caught the eye of the national media,

As a sign of just how divisive the recently ended Colorado legislative session has been, it may very well result in a literal division of the state. As many as eight counties composing the rural, oil and gas-rich northeast corner of the state are pursuing a plan to cut ties with a capital city they no longer feel represents their interests and come together as the 51st state in the country: North Colorado. “We’re actually going to pursue it,” said Weld County Commissioner Douglas Rademacher, a farmer whose jurisdiction is spearheading the effort. “Frankly, we’ve been ignored in northeastern Colorado...

Don’t expect the energy boom in Montana and the Dakotas to end anytime soon. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the formations below these three states hold double the amount of oil and triple the amount of natural gas than was believed five years ago. National Journal reports: The formations, called Bakken and Three Forks, span much of western North Dakota, the northern tip of South Dakota and the northeastern tip of Montana. The last time the United States Geological Survey assessed this area for its oil and gas reserves was in 2008. But that assessment did not...

Question! I'm trying to learn more and keep up with the movements, etc in North Korea. Where on the internet are there some good, reliable websites that Freepers go to for news about the rogue state? For instance there was a Freeper a few days ago who had posted about how you can go online and watch North Korea's "objects" in orbit. Anyhow just curious! Would be great to pool some news resources!

President Obama warned North Korea on Thursday that his administration will take "all necessary steps" to defend the United States from aggression and urged Pyongyang to tone down its threats. "Now is the time for North Korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking, and to try to lower temperatures," he said in the Oval Office, after a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "Nobody wants to see a conflict on the Korean Peninsula." North Korea, he said, must "observe the basic rules and norms" set by the international community, including the UN. "We...

Former Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has announced plans for a K–12 curriculum for home-school students that will offer them “an education in liberty like no other.” The first phase set to launch in September, and all subjects will be taught, but the curriculum will put an emphasis on primary-source documents that focus on the “basics of Western Civilization and Western liberty — how it was won, how it is being lost, and how it will be restored” rather than textbooks.

The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific on Tuesday defended the decision to delay a key missile test, saying the U.S. has already demonstrated its capabilities to North Korea and suggesting there's no need to further inflame tensions with an "unpredictable" leader. Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, stressed that the U.S. has a "credible ability" to intercept any missile launch from North Korea -- as the regime reportedly prepares for a launch as early as Wednesday. But Locklear voiced concern that North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un is "more unpredictable" than his late father Kim...

Even after he was forced to see his mum being hanged and his brother being shot dead, he was convinced he had done the right thingWhen 13-year-old Shin Dong-hyuk overheard his mother planning an escape from their North Korean death camp, he knew exactly what he had to do. He told the guards everything and watched as his mum and brother were dragged away. And in an even more shocking confession, Shin has revealed that after he was forced to see his mum being hanged and his brother being shot dead, he was convinced he had done the right thing....

Crackpot Kim Jong-un’s regime today issued a chilling threat to British diplomats warning them to get out of Pyongyang. Alarmingly the North Korean government said it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassies from April 10. Russian diplomats have also been advised to evacuate. Today the Foreign Office added that it is “considering next steps” after the threat. It is still unclear why next Wednesday has been set as a deadline – but it is sure to spark fears despot Kim Jong-un will launch an attack after that date.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday that the administration wouldn't be surprised if North Korea followed through on threats to launch a missle. "We've obviously seen the reports that North Korea may be making preparations to launch a missile. We're monitoring this situation cclosely, and we would not be surprised to see them take such an action," Carney said during a press briefing. "We have seen them launch missiles in the past and the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly condemned them as violations of the North’s obligations under numerous Security Council resolutions, and it would fit their...

One of North Korea's top decision-making bodies is setting guidelines that call nuclear weapons "the nation's life" that won't be traded even for "billions of dollars,” The Associated Press reported. The statement Sunday came after a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party attended by leader Kim Jong Un and other officials, the AP said. **SNIP** Sunday’s statement says nuclear weapons aren't "goods for getting U.S. dollars" or a "political bargaining chip." Outside analysts have said Pyongyang raises worries over its nuclear ambitions to spur nuclear-disarmament-for-aid talks, the AP said.

North Korea greeted the weekend by stating through its KCNA news agency that it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea. This seems like much more serious news than an earlier KCNA story about using nutritious leeks in seasonal dishes, but there's reason to be skeptical that NoKo's latest declaration means anything at all. The statement wasn't accompanied by an actual attack, which would have been the most obvious sign that North Korea was serious about this. Instead, it's just more chest-beating, this time in response to the "provocation" of the U.S. flying stealth bombers over South Korea....

South Korea vows strong response if provoked North Korea's armed forces are reported to be awaiting a "final order" from the country's supreme leader Kim Jong-un before launching a campaign against South Korea. Ahead of a ten-day joint computer-simulated drill to be conducted by the US and South Korea on 11 March, the North's most widely circulated mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun said: "Our front-line military groups, the army, the navy and the air force, the anti-aircraft units and the strategic rocket units, who have entered the final all-out war stage, are awaiting the final order to strike." The mouthpiece said the...

Uh-oh. RT @W7VOA: Seismic activity detected in #DPRK... believed to be "man-made" per various #ROK sources.

How exactly does one earn so many medals they won't even fit  on the coat with an army that hasn't seen combat for 60 years? Hazing recruits?  Parades...?

By enacting a safety ban -as the EU has- on Air Koryo's  Soviet jalopies, China has effectively left the Norks  with only two planes capable of international routes... Save for a couple newer Russian Tu-204 aircraft, the DPRK's Air Koryo -infamous for the world's worst booking site and the only one-star airline in existence- boasts a fleet comprised of creaking USSR-era aircraft (IL-62, Tu-134, Tu-154), planes that have all been banned in the European Union due to failed Air Koryo ground inspections, ancient design, noise- and the North Korean's contempt for international safety standards in general. Until now, the...

If there is one thing better than Marc Faber providing a free, must-watch (and listen) 50 minute lecture on virtually everything that has transpired in the end days of modern capitalism, starting with who caused it, adjustable rate mortgages, leverage, why did the Fed let Lehman fail, why was AIG bailed out, quantitative easing, Operation Twist, where the interest on the debt is going, which bubbles he is most concerned about, a discussion of gold and silver, and culminating with his views on a world reserve currency, is him saying the following: "The views of the Keynesians like Mr. Krugman...

The object that North Korea sent into space early Thursday appears to be “tumbling out of control” as it orbits the earth, U.S. officials told NBC News. The officials said that it is indeed some kind of space vehicle but they still haven’t been able to determine exactly what the satellite is supposed to do. In a statement, the White House said the rocket launch was a highly provocative act that threatens regional security and violates U.N. resolutions. The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned the launch, calling it a "clear violation" of U.N. resolutions. A spokesman for U.N....

The free ride is over for North Carolina. It was good while it lasted -- but why it lasted so long, I can't say. It's astounding, how this academic scandal could go on for so many years and help so many UNC athletes without being stopped. ....How many athletes were given free grades from the Department of African and Afro-American Studies? We don't know.