Free Republic

Trey Gowdy had a defining moment when he had to explain to Congress and Barack Obama exactly what their job titles are supposed to be. Trey Gowdy lead the charge in passing a bill that directs Obama to follow the laws – ....

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner Friday reiterating a request from a previous letter for a “minimum standard” for Democrats to proceed with a bipartisan investigation into the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya. “In that letter, we asked that Democrats have a real voice on the committee, including on (1) the issuance of subpoenas, (2) the manner in which witnesses would be questioned and deposed, and (3) the specific protocols governing how documents and other information would be obtained, used, and potentially released by the...

If the most disturbing, if underreported, news from yesterday, was Obama's "modification" of NSA capabilities, which contrary to his earlier promises, was just granted even greater powers as phone recording will now be stored for even longer than previously, then this latest development from the Supreme Court - one which some could argue just voided the Fourth amendment - is even more shocking. RT reports that the US Supreme Court has ruled that police may search a home without obtaining a warrant despite the objection of one occupant if that occupant has been removed from the premises. With its 6...

The game of chess is never going to rival soccer or the NFL for popularity. Five hours of watching two players sitting in chairs thinking deep thoughts doesn’t seem like much widespread viewing potential. It is remarkable, then, that this month chess is enjoying global enthusiasm and popularity like it hasn’t since Garry Kasparov played IBM’s computer “Deep Blue” in the 1990s or, even further back, the electrifying performance of Bobby Fischer against Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, 1972. If you’re an average American, you probably don’t know anything about any of it, so I want to take the opportunity to...

**SNIP** The changes, which the acting IRS commissioner rolled out during the Thanksgiving recess just before he was replaced, have largely flown under the radar while Congress has focused on investigating suspected abuses. In May, an audit from the Treasury inspector general for tax administration found the tax agency had been singling out for extra scrutiny tea party and conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. The proposed rules would create a category of banned “candidate-related political activity” — including registration drives, voter guides and issue advocacy. Under the current IRS rules, groups that sign up under the 501(c)(4) section...

During our family gathering yesterday my father-in-law (who is an labor arbitrator in a blue state) told me employers of 50+ full timers have always been required to offer health insurance. He essentially said the ACA's employer mandate is nothing new. I was flabbergasted and told him I thought he was wrong. He got HOT quick. So I dropped it. But its something I would like to verify and haven't been able to find anything. The subject is a big one for me because my 35-40 hours a week as a part time EMT will soon be cut down to...

**SNIP** Democrats could make Republican delays as painful as possible, such as keeping the Senate in session all night and on weekends. "We're going to seek to achieve as much as we possibly can and hope Republicans will cooperate with us, instead of just using knee-jerk obstruction," said Adam Jentleson, spokesman for Reid. Republicans are already using the rules to flex their muscle. When the Senate recessed for Thanksgiving, it did not approve a batch of noncontroversial nominations and bills, which it usually does before such breaks. With 60 votes still required to end filibusters against legislation, Republican senators are...

The Internal Revenue Service quietly proposed new regulations aimed at 501(c)(4) organizations during the Thanksgiving recess that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, called "a crass political effort by the Administration to get what political advantage they can, when they can." Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations were apparently singled out by the IRS starting in 2010, and the heavy hand of government suppression of these groups may have greatly attributed to Obama´s re-election, an American Enterprise Institute study revealed in October. The Washington Post reported last week the Treasury Department said the new rules...

The new U.S.-Afghanistan security agreement adds restrictions on already bureaucratic rules of engagement for American troops by making Afghan dwellings virtual safe havens for the enemy, combat veterans say. The rules of engagement place the burden on U.S. air and ground troops to confirm with certainty that a Taliban fighter is armed before they can fire — even if they are 100 percent sure the target is the enemy. In some cases, aerial gunships have been denied permission to fire even though they reported that targets on the move were armed. The proposed Bilateral Security Agreement announced Wednesday by Afghan

Insurance companies say they were blindsided by Obama’s announcement that state insurance commissions and companies can decide whether or not to re-start plans they had canceled. NBC’s Tom Costello reports.

Vid at link.

The Obama administration has drawn up draft rules that would end a decades-long ban on Libyans getting military training in the U.S., according to documents obtained by House Republicans who said Thursday that it’s the wrong move after last year’s Benghazi attack. The administration says relations with Libya have “normalized,” and that the Libyan government has earned the right to have better relations with the U.S., which first imposed the ban in 1983 after a wave of terrorist attacks involving Libyans. But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte and Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Libya remains a dangerous hotspot and...

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday urged the world to insist on tough negotiations that ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. Speaking to NBC News a day after his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu cautioned against Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's charm offensive, which he described as a strategy carried out to woo the West at the behest of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. "[The Iranian people] are governed not by Rouhani. They're governed by Ayatollah Khamenei. He heads a cult. That cult is wild in its ambitions and its aggression," Netanyahu said. The prime...

For some individuals and families signing up for ObamaCare, a little fudging can make a big difference in their bank accounts. In California, for example, a childless married couple stating income of $30,000 would face a $1,000 deductible, $15 per primary care visit and a maximum out-of-pocket cost (after premiums) of $4,500. But for a couple attesting to $32,000 in income, the deductible would be $3,000, primary care visit $40 and out-of-pocket maximum a hefty $10,400. Though they are separated by just $2,000 in income, the government might provide the lower-earning family as much as $5,900 more in cost-sharing subsidies...

The UN's climate change panel is set to release a report next month that reluctantly concludes there has been no warming of the earth in at least the last 15 years. Fewer and fewer people are believers that climate change is man made. This hasn't stopped the Obama administration from releasing new rules governing "carbon pollution" at new power plants that would mean the virtual destruction of the coal industry.

The shock waves are reverberating throughout the Church and around the globe. Pope Francis has insisted that the Church founded by Jesus Christ must focus beyond "small-minded rules" or it may very well "fall like a house of cards." Translation: Doctrinal truths which the world finds offensive must be watered-down or pretty much ignored to accommodate the zeitgeist. Doctrinal truths constitute "small-minded rules"? Dr. Germain Grisez, in a talk entitled "Legalism, Moral Truth and Pastoral Practice" given at a 1990 symposium held in Philadelphia, had this to say: "Theologians and pastors who dissent from received Catholic teaching think they are...

OTTAWA--Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has told U.S. President Barack Obama that he's ready to work on joint plan between the two countries to reduce carbon emissions in the energy sector in an effort to secure approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday. The CBC, citing unnamed sources, said Mr. Harper wrote to Mr. Obama in late August, signaling he is ready to accept carbon-reduction targets proposed by the U.S. and prepared to work with the White House to address concerns raised about Keystone and its impact on greenhouse-gas emissions. A spokesman for Mr....

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting here late last week was starkly different from the gathering of its Republican counterparts earlier in the month. There were no surefire news-making speakers like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey or former Speaker Newt Gingrich, nor was there consideration of any made-for-cable-news resolutions, like one that tried to bar a pair of television networks from sponsoring future presidential debates. Rather, it was a sedate gathering where routine party business was conducted routinely by national and state Democratic officials in a suburban Phoenix resort.

The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents. Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by statute and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls.