Free Republic

Government is not the enemy. Not always. Don’t believe that right-wing malarkey. In fact, for millions of Americans down on their luck and at the end of their rope, they can quickly find that government is their last friend left. Governmental assistance can prevent the certainty of a hungry night and a homeless tomorrow. It can mean the difference between the comfort of stability and the ravages of poverty. This function is now more important than ever, even as it is under more pressure than ever. We learned this week that not only are there more poor people in America...

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Survivalists, doctors, even the parents of Joshua Childers marvel at how the 3-year-old, barely clothed, survived for 52 hours alone in the untamed woods of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest. {Cut} "I don't know how he did it," Childers said. "I don't know grown men that could do it. But all I can say is he's a tough little bugger."

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2007 – The recent surge of troops and embedded provincial reconstruction teams to Iraq is providing unprecedented opportunity for Iraqi citizens, a coalition commander said today. “It really wasn’t until the EPRT, the ‘civilian surge’ … and the surge forces arrived that we began to make what I will call measurable progress along our lines of operations,” Army Col. Mike Garret told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, south of Baghdad, shortly after he provided a televised operational update via satellite. Garrett commands the “Spartan” 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne),...

Afghan local policemen distribute humanitarian assistance supplies Jan. 6 near the town of Narang, located in northeast Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Paul Poland Humanitarian Effort Aims to Help Afghans Become Self-sufficient Soldiers and Iraqi police distribute winter supplies and food to locals. By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pintagro Task Force Spartan Public Affairs Location and Date -- Afghan government officials, regional policemen and American soldiers demonstrated their commitment to the health, welfare and warmth of the people of northeastern Afghanistan, delivering humanitarian aid supplies to a string of villages located in...

Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, says it has discovered a huge new offshore oil field off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. The Papa-Terra field was found in the Campos Basin, which is already Brazil's most important oil-producing region. Petrobras estimates it contains at least 700 million barrels of crude - about 10% of Brazil's current reserves. The field, which is jointly operated with the US company Chevron, should start producing oil by the end of 2011. Petrobras said the oil from the Papa-Terra field was heavier than the sweet light crude favoured by international markets, but the firm...

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- For 40 exhausting minutes, Wayne Goldsberry battled a buck with his bare hands in his daughter's bedroom. Goldsberry finally subdued the five-point whitetail deer that crashed through a bedroom window at his daughter's home Friday. When it was over, blood splattered the walls and the deer lay on the bedroom floor, its neck broken. Goldsberry was at his daughter's home when he heard glass breaking. He went back to check on the noise and found the deer. "I was standing about like this peeking around the corner when the deer came out of the bedroom," said...

With Vietnamese evacuees continuing to pour into Houston, some Asian representatives worry the community may be trying to do too much on its own. The uncounted thousands of Vietnamese storm victims are not going to the Astrodome or the George R. Brown Convention Center to seek help from the government, leaders say. Instead, many gather at Hong Kong City Mall on Bellaire, a privately run mall where they are being connected with ample free food and housing from fellow Vietnamese — help that cannot last indefinitely. "The problem is, because the Vietnamese are not in the shelters, they are not...

Storm Takes Community Back to Its Beginnings, but Buddhist Temple Offers Hope BILOXI, Miss., Sept. 8 -- It took 30 years for Vietnamese refugees to turn a homely corner of Biloxi into a thriving neighborhood -- and 13 hours of Katrina to send them back to the day they came here. Much of the neighborhood is either leveled or broken beyond repair. The My Viet Supermarket is gone. The Chi-Kim-Lien fashion boutique -- gone. Gone too is the marquee restaurant, Xuan Huong, which took up half a block of Division Street and brought tourists into the neighborhood from all over...

Over six years ago, Congress overhauled much of the nation's welfare system. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 19961 replaced the failed social program called Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The reform legislation had three primary goals: (1) reduce welfare dependence and increase employment, (2) reduce child poverty, and (3) reduce illegitimacy and strengthen marriage. At the time of the law's enactment, many liberal groups made dire predictions about the terrible effect these reforms would have on America's children. In particular, the Children's Defense Fund claimed that welfare...

It's time for a change. In fact, it's long past time for that. After careful consideration and due deliberation - including some not-so-gentle prodding from some of you - I'm coming around in my way of thinking. Such movement requires the resolve of a contortionist, some might conclude. But the changes in my philosophical approaches really are merely subtle. These changes have been coming for quite some time now. What's the best way to advance the plight of an oppressed people? That's been a constant in my mental machinations for much of my life. I've followed the lead of Solomon,...