Free Republic

Last night, by a comfortable margin of 53-47%, the citizens of Maine became the 31st state to vote down gay marriage (as has every single state that has given its citizens a chance to vote on the issue). Not surprisingly, the mainstream liberal press is beside itself with frustration, especially because it drives yet another nail in the "inevitability" and "wrong side of history" arguments we are often fed. As I wrote on National Review this morning, Maine voted for traditional marriage "despite it being a liberal state, despite a 2-1 funding disadvantage, despite aggressive legal action against traditional-marriage...

President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and their Democratic followers in Congress have a rather draconian message for the private sector: Speak now, and we'll make you forever hold your peace. Up until a few weeks ago, America's health insurers were sheepishly on board with the Obama-Pelosi health care reform plan. Perhaps the industry feared that voicing any concern about the plan would unleash the ire of an increasingly rabid Democratic majority on Capitol Hill. As it turns out, the health insurers were right.

In an explosive interview by Dr. Laurie Roth on her syndicated West Coast radio show on August 7th, Douglas Hagmann—a respected journalist, director of the Northeast Intelligence Network and longtime private investigator, and Judi McLeod, a prolific journalist and the managing editor of Canada Free Press—the reason for the media blackout about the birth-certificate issue was nothing less than organized Mafia-like dire threats to members of the media issued not only from the heads of major TV and radio stations but also from Federal Communication Commission officials!

Note: The following text is a quote: U.S. Seeks to Counter Enemy’s ‘Weapon of Choice’ By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2009 – The Defense Department expects U.S. forces in Afghanistan to continue to be targeted by improvised explosive devices -- which have claimed more lives there than any other weapon -- while it seeks ways to counter the threat, officials said. As President Barack Obama and his advisors weigh decisions on the next phase of the Afghan war, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is working to protect against and defeat the growing threat from...

.... Busting up the banking trusts is essential for the following reasons: -It eliminates the too-big-to-fail issue, which puts entire economies at risk. -Excessively large banks destroy democracies, like the United States, through inordinate influence on policy, politicians and regulators. -Oligopolies and monopolies are economically inefficient and charge excessive fees, earn excessive profits and pay excessive salaries and bonuses. -Oligopolies and monopolies don't innovate because they don't have to. -Oligopolies and monopolies are risky because they indulge in groupthink mistakes that are too large for economies and the business community to bear. -Oligopolies and monopolies fossilize markets by dealing with...

Arguments go back and forth about whether or not the Obama administration is really "socialist" in the sense that they wish to control the means of production, takeover all businesses, and put the "people" (unions) in charge. Wherever you come down on this issue, there is no denying the straight line from Obama's Chicago roots and ways of getting things done to the White House. I wrote about it a while back when Chrysler dealers were being closed down, in a post I called "Not Socialism: Gangsterism:" "It can happen because we are barking up the wrong tree when we...

A Del Norte County man accused of threatening the life of President Barack Obama and his family pleaded not guilty to three charges in U.S. District Court in Eureka Monday. Appearing in an orange jumpsuit and shackles, John Howard Gimbel, 59, of Crescent City, was asked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Nandor Vadas if he understood the charges against him. ”Yes, I understand,” Gimbel said. “Not guilty to all of them.” Gimbel was arrested at his home on Oct. 6 for allegedly writing threatening and profanity-laden e-mails to Obama and his family. He was indicted by a grand jury in U.S....

Washington -- SNIPPET: "Rev. Zaheer Khan, pastor of Maghoo Memorial Church, Rev. Aamir Azeem, pastor of United Christians Church and Rev. Zafar Akhter, pastor of United Presbyterian Church each received a copy of threatening letter. The Islamists sent the letters to the following Christian institutions: St Peter's Middle School, Sargodha Institute of Technology, Sargodha Catholic High School, St John's Primary School and Fatima Hospital. Besides the Christian institutions, the letter was also sent to the main Immam-Bar-Gha (Shiite Muslim's gathering hall). Shiites are a minority Muslim group in Pakistan where the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim. ICC's Jonathan...

WASHINGTON - The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according to government officials and reports, raising new questions about the 144-year-old agency’s overall mission. The Secret Service is tracking a far broader range of possible threats to the nation’s leaders, the officials said, even as it also investigates financial crimes such as counterfeiting as part of its original mandate. The new demands are leading some officials, both inside and outside the agency, to raise the possibility of the...

I did a bunch of Internet work on Thursday evening and Friday last week, then went out of town. When I returned on Sunday I could smell a man's cologne in my kitchen and could tell someone had been in my home while I was gone. Nothing was stolen or missing, but I checked with my neighbor who is a retired cop from NY City to see if he noticed any activity at my house. As a matter of fact, his dogs were barking Sunday night and he looked in my driveway to see if my son's truck was there....

Special Dispatch - No. 2576 October 4, 2009 New Threat Message Warns: Al-Qaeda Will Attack Germany on a Sunday in October Introduction The Al-Falluja jihadist forum has posted a new threat message to Germany specifying that attacks will be carried out on one of the Sundays in October. It is titled "To the Infidel German Nation: We Bestow on You the Kindness, for the Third Time, of Specifying the Appointed Day!" The message, which is being heavily promoted by Al-Falluja, is the latest in a series of threats to appear on the forum [1] following the release of Al-Qaeda videos...

SNIPPET - Quote: Ex-Muslim receives death threats after publishing article critical of Islam -- in Tulsa He criticized all religious belief in his essay. But he's not in fear for his life from an angry mob down the road at Oral Roberts University. "Former Muslim receiving death threats," by Bill Sherman for Tulsa World, October 1 (thanks to Basil): Sabri Husibi, a former Muslim who is now an atheist, says he has been ostracized and threatened with death since publication of a Tulsa World article Saturday in which he was critical of Islam and all other religions. That article can...

Note: The following text is a quote: Members of Justice Department's National Security Division Leadership Team Announced WASHINGTON — David Kris, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, today announced the National Security Division’s (NSD) leadership team. Among others, Kris announced the appointment of Brad Wiegmann to be the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General; Donald Vieira to be the Chief of Staff; Todd Hinnen as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Law and Policy; Tashina Gauhar as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Intelligence; and George Toscas as the Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Counterterrorism and Counterespionage. “We are...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/09/more-from-the-threatener-tell-you-fool-followers-you-are-going-to-be-deceased-very-soon.html More from the threatener: “tell you fool followers you are going to be deceased very soon” More just in from this guy, apparently with something that masks his IP, as this time he writes from 74.50.97.246, which traces to Tampa. If anyone can provide any information on tracing, please let me know. Robert.... that’s really good of posting the threat... It was really good I found you in a local supermarket. and I followed you.. so i know your address now.. tell you fool followers you are going to be deceased very...

Travel Alert U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau of Consular Affairs This information is current as of today, Sun Sep 27 2009 02:36:27 GMT-0700 (PDT). Germany September 23, 2009 The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens that Al Qaeda has threatened it will conduct terrorist attacks in Germany immediately prior to and following the federal elections on September 27. This Travel Alert expires on November 11, 2009. Al Qaeda recently released a video specifically warning Germany of attacks. German authorities are taking the threat seriously and have taken measures to enhance the level of security throughout the country. The Department of...

Security: An Iranian mullah once said "a world without America and Zionism" was a real possibility. Our sellout of Eastern Europe and missile defense brings that dream closer to reality. It would take only one warhead."Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism?" Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked at a "World Without Zionism" conference in Tehran in 2005. "But you had best know that this slogan and this goal are attainable, and surely can be achieved." He added that Iran had a strategic "war preparation plan" for what it called "the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization." A...

My Op-ed in The Australian By Leah Farrall, Australia I have an op-ed piece out in today’s edition of The Australian called “Detentions come back to bite” It’s about Guantanamo blowback now having very real strategic consequences: the formation of a new strategy to kidnap civilians in Afghanistan in order to secure the release of prisoners taken by America. Sally Neighbour has a front page piece derived from my op-ed here “Afghan foreigner kidnap order by al Qaeda leader Mustafa Hamid”. I haven’t seen the broadsheet yet, so I’m not sure if the photos I provided of Hamid are on...

Note: Photos included. SNIPPET: "Basically he’s saying if Germany pulls out of Afghanistan, al Qaeda will turn a blind eye to Germany and not attack it, which he intimates it will do soon otherwise."

The increasingly aggressive Democratic National Committee on Friday launched a new “Call ’Em Out” website targeting prominent Republicans for statements they have made about President Barack Obama’s health reform plans. “Help debunk the outrageous lies and misinformation about health reform,” the site says. DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said: “The message to opponents of change who would lie or misrepresent the truth should be clear. We are going to respond forcefully and consistently with the facts, and you will no longer be able to peddle your lies with impunity. Through tools like 'Call 'Em Out,' you will be met with a...

Politico notes that a threatened suit by ACORN against O'Keefe and Giles would be a major mistake for the organization. Threatened criminal charges against them are being threatened by the ACORN workers involved:

Note: Photo included. Contrite St. John's Univ. student behind alleged massacre threats on Facebook says booze to blame BY KERRY BURKE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Thursday, September 17th 2009, 3:34 PM PHOTO CAPTION: "Radames Santiago Jr., 18, a student from St John's, who was arrested for making threats on his Facebook page." SNIPPET: "A St. John's University freshman who posted messages on Facebook threatening to launch a "Virginia Tech attack" at the Queens campus told the Daily News that he was just drunk and never would have caused anyone harm." SNIPPET: "Santiago, who lives in Washington Heights with his mom...

Note: The following text is a quote: "Are you guys agents of satan?" This Hate Mailer, like so many others, assumes that I am Jewish (in reality, I do not have that honor). This is because his Koran tells him that the Jews will be the worst enemies of the believers (5:82), and he believes that by telling the truth about jihad and Islamic supremacism, I have become an enemy to the Muslims. Note also that there are several veiled threats in this one. He refers to Ka'b bin Ashraf, who was murdered by Muhammad's men -- on the Muslim...

A former Austin woman convicted of threatening to shoot local officials pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to making bomb threats against eight U.S. post offices in southern Minnesota.

SNIPPET: "According to ITRR, the latest jihadist communication was unusual in that it was very explicit and open in targeting the Germans, in discussing a coming attack, and in specifying its timing. Aside from Ramadan, which ends 19 September 2009, the upcoming German national election on September 27 has been marked as a "red flag date" by ITRR." SNIPPET: "German security services have also been cited in local media discussing stepped up jihadist chatter, threats and intelligence warnings aimed at the German state in recent months. Earlier this year, video messages delivered in German by an al-Qaeda fighter going by...

Axis Of Evil: North Korean arms bound for the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of U.N. sanctions were intercepted, but Tehran will still be the first nuclear terror regime. No wonder Dick Cheney wanted to attack.The United Arab Emirates' seizure of a French-owned ship transporting 10 containers of North Korean-made explosives, rocket-launched grenades and other arms disguised as oil equipment to Iran is a welcome confirmation that the Muslim Middle East recognizes the Islamofascist threat in its midst. Disturbingly, however, it also confirms that the axis of evil that aligns North Korea, Iran and other bloodthirsty regimes against the...

Special Dispatch - No. 2505 August 25, 2009 Pakistan Taliban Commander: We Have 'Thousands of Suicide Bombers' Who Can 'Target Washington, Paris, London, and Kabul' On August 25, 2009, a Pakistani Urdu-language newspaper reported that Waliur Rehman, the commander of the Taliban militants in Pakistan's tribal district of South Waziristan Agency, had said that his group has "thousands of suicide bombers" who can "target Washington, Paris, London, and Kabul."

The new leader of the Paistani Taliban threatened to strike back at the US for killing Baitullah Mehsud in a Predator attack earlier last month. "We will take revenge and soon," Hakeemullah Mehsud, who was chosen to lead the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan last weekend, told AFP. "We will give our reply to this drone attack to America." The Taliban claimed Baitullah died on Aug. 23 of wounds suffered during the Aug. 5 airstrike that also killed his second wife and seven of his bodyguards. Hakeemullah and Baitullah were cousins; Baitullah helped Hakeemullah quickly rise through the ranks...

Just who has been sending “the message”? And how did it permeate not only the media, but also the once-respected U.S. Congress and the courts of our land, including the once-incorruptible Supreme Court? And what menacing forces made the once-courageous conservative media abandon their mission to expose rank corruption and collusion? Two words: Money Talks! If you’re a media mogul and you get word from the FCC that your license will be pulled immediately and irrevocably if you mention only three words – Obama’s birth certificate – poof! You send that word to your employees and tell them that their...

Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: al-Qa'ida Threat to Americans in Mauritania during Ramadan CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Sub-Saharan Africa - Mauritania 23 Aug 2009 U.S. Embassy Nouakchott issued the following Warden Message on August 23, 2009: Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) may use Ramadan as an opportunity to conduct further attacks against American citizens. Both U.S. Government officials and private Americans working for faith-based organizations may be particularly targeted. American citizens traveling to or residing in Mauritania should maintain a sense...

Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Mali, Threat to Americans During Ramadan CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Sub-Saharan Africa - Mali 21 Aug 2009 U.S. Embassy Bamako issued the following Warden Message on August 21: Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) may use Ramadan as an opportunity to conduct further attacks against Americans. Accordingly, American citizens and their families traveling to or residing in Mali should maintain a sense of heightened awareness. American citizens are urged to consult the Department of State's Worldwide Caution...

On Wednesday, August 12, a man holding a sign that said “Death to Obamaâ€� at a town hall meeting in Maryland was detained and turned over to the Secret Service for questioning, which is pursuing an investigation into charging him with threatening the president. As well they should. I fully and absolutely agree with this arrest, since anyone who threatens the president is breaking the law and should be prosecuted. It doesn’t matter that Obama was not at the meeting nor that the man was unarmed: the threat all on its own is a federal crime, according to the United...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2009 – Despite the wave of violence this week in Afghanistan’s capital, military officials there believe Afghans will turn out to vote in their national election Aug. 20, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said today. Suicide bombings in Kabul today and Aug. 15 killed three ISAF troops, several Afghan soldiers, United Nations employees and more than 50 innocent civilians, Canadian Defense Force Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay said in a video news conference from Afghanistan. Insurgents have stepped up their attacks from about 30 to more than 40 per day in the past four days,...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2009 – When Afghans go to the polls to cast their votes Aug. 20, they’ll see Afghans providing for their security, not U.S. or NATO forces. In a video news conference today from Kabul, Australian Defense Force Brig. Gen. Damien Cantwell, chief of the election task force for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, stressed that the Afghan security forces are completely in charge of planning and implementing security efforts for the elections. “Afghan security forces have committed themselves fully across the country with the intent to provide all they can within their resource limitations in terms of...

London In an astounding revelation, Al-Qaeda extremists have claimed that home-grown terrorists are plotting to attack targets in Britain. According to reports, in an internet magazine read by thousands of Islamic extremists Al-Qaeda has labeled Britain and Europe as a bigger enemy than the United States. It further says that the strikes are being planned by terrorists living in Britain and others overseas, and warns of “spectacular attacks”, 'The Sun' reports

Dr. Gates has made some bizarre statements along with his recent bomb and death threat claims, including "dreaming of being arrested at the White House." Is he dreaming about death and bomb threats, too? After his dreamed-up racism, I want to see reality.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: These guys have threatened me again. This was last Friday at the White House, Jake Tapper -- this the presidential daily brief. Jake Tapper says, "Rush Limbaugh went on a very long speech which he compared Democrats to Nazis, the president to Hitler, and I'm wondering if the president's seen any of this. Obviously the Nazi imagery has been condemned by Jewish groups, and I'm wondering if he feels anything about the language being used this way." GIBBS: Any time you make references to what happened in Germany in the Thirties and Forties, I think you're talking...

Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service. Some threats to Mr Obama, whose Secret Service codename is Renegade, have been publicised, including an alleged plot by white supremacists in Tennessee late last year to rob a gun store, shoot 88 black people, decapitate another 14 and then assassinate the first black president in American history.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. mulls moving over death threats Calls Crowley ‘a nice guy’ By Susan Milton and Jessica Van Sack Monday, August 3, 2009 CHILMARK - Black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. has received numerous death threats since he accused a white officer of racially profiling him in a controversial arrest last month, prompting Harvard University officials to suggest he consider moving, the professor told a crowd yesterday. “You should die; you’re a racist,” read one e-mail that Gates recalled in his first public appearance since sharing a beer at the White House with President Obama and Cambridge police...

SNIPPET: "The leader of the al Qaeda-linked Chinese terror group has threatened to attack Chinese interests around the world to avenge the death of Uighurs in the eastern province of Xianjiang. Abdul Haq al Turkistani, the leader of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party, threatened to attack Chinese embassies worldwide as well as targets within the country. Haq made his threats on a video that was released on an Islamist Internet site." SNIPPET: "Haq, who is also known as Maimaitiming Maimaiti, became the leader of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party in late 2003 after Hassan Mahsum, the group’s previous leader, was...

Worldwide Caution July 29, 2009 The Department of State has issued this Worldwide Caution to update information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world. In some countries, the worldwide recession has contributed to political and economic instability and social unrest. American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. This replaces the Worldwide Caution dated February 2, 2009 to provide updated information on security threats and terrorist activities worldwide. The Department of State remains concerned about the continued...

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Olympic organisers are "very alive" to the threat of a cyber attack on the London 2012 Olympics, made more challenging because of its evolving nature, senior Interior Ministry officials said on Tuesday. Ticketing systems, the transport network and hotel bookings as well as security are among potential targets. Olympic security officials are also planning for the possible diversion of aircraft to protect airspace around the venues from terrorist attacks, the officials said. The greatest threat to security at the Games is international terrorism, the government's latest "Safety and Security Strategy" report said.

The interior of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Kathmandu Rome, Italy, Jul 16, 2009 / 12:37 pm (CNA).- Following the recent bomb attack on the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was attributed to the Hindu group Nepal Defense Army, extremists are now threatening priests and religious in Nepal with death if they do not leave the country “within one month.” The Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, Bishop Anthony Francis Sharma, said the threats were made to the associate vicar, Father Pius Perumana.  L’Osservatore Romano reported that the police have beefed up security at the diocesan chancery in Godavari, where Father...

Sacha Baron Cohen has stepped up his security after being threatened by a terrorist organisation that is angered at its portrayal in the film Brüno. The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a coalition of Palestinian militias in the West Bank, said it was “very upset” that it featured in the film starring Baron Cohen’s homosexual fashionista alter ego. Baron Cohen’s Austrian character ridicules the terrorist group when he attempts to get himself kidnapped during a meeting with Ayman Abu Aita, who is identified in the film as the leader of the Martyrs’ Brigades. The London-born actor is reportedly taking the threat seriously...

President Obama has made his opposition to Israeli settlements the centerpiece of his efforts to promote negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and much is being written about the need for Israel to freeze all building in Jewish communities in Gaza and the West Bank. The settlement issue, however, is more complicated than the administration has made out, and its exclusive focus on settlements at the expense of more pressing issues may be more of an impediment to the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process” than a solution to it. Start with Israel’s rights and obligations in regard to the settlements. The...

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF LANGUAGE OFFENDS YOU A cop's moonbat wife twice threatened me tonight on Twitter, so, just in case she has her husband hunt me down (we sort of live in the same metropolitan area), I thought I'd replay the conversation here. And I bet she didn't know I had a blog. Silly moonbat. It went like this...

Note: The following text is a quote: Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictment on Internet Bomb Threats Hammond, IN—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana announced that a three-count indictment was returned against Ashton Lundeby for his role in Internet bomb and related threats directed to Purdue University, Indiana University/Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Ind., and numerous other educational institutions throughout the country. Lundeby, 16, of Oxford, N.C., was arrested by the FBI at his home in Oxford on March 6, 2009. A federal search warrant was also executed at that time. Lundeby was arrested pursuant to a...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2009 – While devoting much of his National Press Club address today to efforts under way in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was quizzed on a broad range of other defense issues ranging from the war in Iraq to the defense budget to possible revisions to the military ban on homosexuals. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses the audience at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C., July 8, 2009. Mullen discussed a multitude of subjects including the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fiscal...

Jon Voight's Profile in Courage Jeffrey Lord. "'There's a group being formed to deal with you,' the unidentified voice said. 'They're going to fix you so you won't ever act again.'" -- Ronald Reagan, writing in his autobiography Where's the Rest of Me of an anonymous phone call he received while fighting Communist infiltration of the motion picture industry in 1949. The threat was simple. Either Ronald Reagan stopped speaking out on his views of Communists in the movie business -- or he would have acid tossed in his face, disfiguring him. His main asset as an actor thus destroyed,...

For those interested in exploring one of the greatest internal and transnational threats to the United States, there is a new book out today by Samuel Logan, This is For the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang. The book traces the history of Brenda Paz, a young Honduran who joins MS-13 and eventually becomes the most effective police witness against the organization, before she was killed. But besides the individual story, the book shows just how powerful and ruthless the MS-13 has become. Given that it now has chapters in thousands of cities across the United States,...

Tunisian authorities have reportedly arrested nine soldiers for allegedly planning attacks on visiting American military officers. The arrests were made under the Tunisian anti-terrorism law, lawyers said. The detainees, two of whom are officers in the Tunisian Air Force, planned to assassinate American military officers who visit the country periodically for military training and joint exercises with the Tunisian army, the German Deutsche Press Agency (DPA) reported. Dr. Jack Kalpakian, a political expert at Morocco’s Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, said he was not surprised to hear news of the terror sweep. “Tunisia’s government has followed a very secularist policy and...