Free Republic

A new decree by Venezuela's government could make its citizens work on farms to tackle the country's severe food shortages. That "effectively amounts to forced labor," according to Amnesty International, which derided the decree as "unlawful." In a vaguely-worded decree, Venezuelan officials indicated that public and private sector employees could be forced to work in the country's fields for at least 60-day periods, which may be extended "if circumstances merit."

On Tuesday night, the mother of Trayvon Martin praised Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia for having “the courage to lead the fight for common-sense gun legislation.” Numerous other speakers also raised the gun control issue at the DNC, too. But Wednesday night was clearly “gun night.” From Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey to former Representative Gabby Giffords and her husband, NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly to others, a string of speakers pushed for more gun control. When President Obama addressed the crowd he also pushed the notion of changing background checks...

The event in question was the “Interfaith Service of Prayer for the Nation” held at Philly’s [Catholic] cathedral, the Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul. Planning for the event began in February by the Philadelphia Liturgical Institute, at the request and on behalf of the DNC. The prayer service was … odd.

National union leaders made the case Monday for why Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton is a better choice over Republican nominee Donald Trump. National unions have overwhelmingly endorsed Clinton with many warning Trump would be disastrous for worker rights. The AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the National Education Association, AFSCME, among others within the labor movement voiced their support for her at the the Democratic National Convention. “We need a president that wants to raise wages instead of one that thinks wages are too high and doesn’t even think there should be a federal minimum wage,” SEIU International...

Following the highly anticipated DNC speech by First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday, CNN’s Anderson Cooper called out Political Commentator Van Jones for crying during the speech. “Well I mean, first of all, if you weren't moved by that, go see the doctor,” he responded. Jones continued by speaking glowingly about the speech, “She gave a clinic on how to connect to the American people,” and “It was her speaking as a mother.” The rest of the panelists did much of the same, they all praised her speech for different reasons. CNN’s Senior Political Reporter Nia-Malika Henderson praised Hillary Clinton’s...

Full Title: BREAKING NEWS: Democrat chairwoman RESIGNS hours before Clinton convention. Email hack revealing how party conspired against Sanders forces Debbie Wasserman Schultz to quit Democratic party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has stepped down following Bernie Sanders' call for her resignation in the wake of a humiliating Wikileaks email hack that exposed her bias and showed the party had conspired against the Vermont senator. Party officials took part in crisis talks on Sunday afternoon - the eve of the party's national convention in Philadelphia - over mounting calls for Wasserman Schultz's resignation. The controversy exploded over the weekend, prompted in...

Mark Levin and others are pressuring the state legislatures to call for a "Constitutional Convention," or "Convention of States," or "Assembly of States." Doesn't matter which name you use, it's all the same thing. It is an effort not to amend our Constitution, but to change it significantly, or to replace it entirely. Here's how: The authorization for amending or changing the Constitution of the United States is found in Article V of the US Constitution. It is very short. Only one sentence. In fact, only the first two lines of that sentence are important, because in them, the Founding...

Tyler Gebhard was killed Saturday in St. Louis after trying to break into a police officer’s home. Gebhard had argued with the cop about Black Lives Matter on Facebook. The unidentified cop and Gebhard knew each other through church. Tyler Gebhard was 20 years old. He was shot after he threatened the officer’s wife after she wouldn’t let him in the home and threw a planter through the window. StL Today reported: A former Affton High School football standout forced his way into a South County home and was shot and killed by an off-duty officer inside after a Facebook...

Swedish Left Party politician Barbro Sörman has suggested that it’s “worse” when Swedish men rape women, than when immigrants do so. “The Swedish men who rape do it despite the growing gender equality. They make an active choice. It’s worse imo [in my opinion],” Sörman tweeted. Sörman, a self-described socialist and a feminist, made the observation in response to what she claimed was excessive media focus on the fact that most of the rapes in Sweden are committed by immigrants. She explained that Swedish men are brought up in a society that believes in gender equality and therefore should be...

It's all about wedge-issues and fundraising. Before we start talking about the left-wing hissy fit unfolding in the House of Representatives, you need to keep something in mind. This is an election year. Democrats need four things: 1. They need to further their 100 year old agenda of banning guns. 2. They need to blame guns for their failure to deal with radical Islam. 3. They need a 2016 wedge issue. 4. They need - desperately - a massive pile of the political cash they claim to hate.

Pope Francis is very popular around the world, but there are growing signs that his popularity is dwindling in his own country, Argentina. And there are good reasons for it. When former archbishop of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio was chosen pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, there were massive celebrations in Argentina. He was the first Latin American pope, and a respected priest in Argentina, where he was known to be at odds with the corrupt populist government of former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Once in the Vatican, Francis’ frequent calls to Argentine...

While verbal and physical attacks against churches and religious leaders accumulate in the heated election climate in Spain, Pope Francis will meet Pablo Iglesias, the current irrepressible leader of the radical left Spain in September. With this meeting Pope Francis continues his unilateral contacts with representatives of the radical left. Acts of vandalism against churches and religious institutions, but also verbal attacks against high church officials, have characterized the time before the early Spanish general elections which are to take place on 26 June. One of the most prominent victims of the attacks is Antonio Cardinal Cañizares, Archbishop of Valencia...

... "The fact is that in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, voters have come to associate the centre-left with many of the (unpopular) policies traditionally championed by the right: austerity, deregulation, liberalisation, free trade." ...

President Barack Obama congratulated Hillary Clinton last night for securing the Democratic nomination, according to the White House, during a phone call with his former Secretary of State. “Her historic campaign inspired millions and is an extension of her lifelong fight for middle-class families and children,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. Obama also called Senator Bernie Sanders, Earnest confirmed. “The President thanked Senator Sanders for energizing millions of Americans with his commitment to issues like fighting economic inequality and special interests’ influence on our politics,” he said. Earnest said that Obama will meet with Sanders...

The San Jose police department is under increasing scrutiny over charges that they allowed Trump supporters to be attacked by violent rioters following a Trump event. What has gone largely unreported, is that police chief Eddie Garcia is affiliated with the far left group La Raza.

Venezuela's Maduro rooting for 'revolutionary friend' Sanders in U.S. campaign By Girish Gupta and Corina Pons CARACAS Venezuela's embattled president, Nicolas Maduro, said on Tuesday night he supported Bernie Sanders in the U.S. presidential race, adding that the candidate, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, would win if the vote were "free." Maduro, a socialist who sees himself as the political heir to his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, has long railed against the United States, blaming it for Venezuela's economic crisis and accusing Washington of attempting to topple him. "Bernie Sanders, our revolutionary friend, ought to win in the United...

Her choice that is. You have seriously misunderstood the constitution because there is no such thing as God-given rights. Only rights conferred by the Liberal-Socialist Democratic Party - if they so choose Hers… Not yours. You make a decision to defend your family. She intends to take away your choice. Your choice is to preserve life.—Preferably yours. Her choice is to increase money flowing to her foundation. She is smarter than you, better than you, and reserves her “right” to make choices for you.

The report blames a host of factors for this year's lackluster economic prospects including persistent weak demand in the major economies which remains a drag on global growth, the low price of oil and other commodities which are hurting exporting countries, severe weather-related shocks especially severe drought related to El Nino, political challenges, and large capital outflows in many developing regions. Dawn Holland, a senior economist in the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the 2.4 percent growth predicted for this year is 1 percent lower than the average annual rate of growth of 3.4 percent in the...

Sad to say that even so not many yet hear the howling of the wolves No one hears the howling of the wolves but they’re getting louder every day. Not many in the mainstream media bother joining the dots anymore. Keeping ahead of the news curve means doing one’s own research. Now that Sadiq Khan has been elected as the first Muslim Mayor of a major Western capital in London England, prominent Muslim columnists like Tarek Fatah over at the Toronto Sun, writes ‘London’s new mayor is no Islamist’.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Oil drilling companies and royalty owners from the Texas Panhandle to New Mexico's stretch of the Permian Basin are embarking on a grass-roots campaign to limit foreign oil imports, salvaging what they say is a major sector of the U.S. economy. "American oil is competing against a cartel of government operators which has a stated initiative of driving an American industry out of business," said Tom Cambridge, one of the Panhandle producers leading the campaign. The grass-roots movement is pushing for the next president of the United States to issue a proclamation setting quotas for imports...