Free Republic

Why do conservatives and liberals respond so differently to the current war in Georgia? The answer to that question exposes the great political divide separating left and right, Democrats and Republicans, in today’s America. The stark contrast between Barack Obama and John McCain at this weekend’s televised Civil Forum at California’s Saddleback Church further underlined the vast gulf in worldviews when it comes to injecting moral standards or arguments into politics. Conservatives approach every challenge with a determination to approach the question (as far as possible)as a choice between right and wrong, good and evil. Liberals, on the other hand,...

The Los Angeles Unified School District doesn’t want Karen Kropf talking to its students. District leaders fear that what she says isn’t “balanced” and that she’s not a certified “expert” in the field. Really, though, they just don’t like her message about teenage sexual self-control and the limited protection of condoms. That, and they’re worried about what the ACLU might say, especially given California’s law against “abstinence-only” education.  Investigating Kropf’s situation, I was startled to discover an alarming trend that has gone unreported: The ACLU and Planned Parenthood have teamed up in an aggressive campaign over the past several...

The United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS took place at UN headquarters in New York this week to review progress made in fighting the global AIDS pandemic. The two-day meeting, which brought together members of government and civil society, was punctuated throughout by calls to end stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS by expanding rights for "sexual minorities" and "commercial sex workers," including decriminalization of sodomy and prostitution. At the opening panel discussion, a representative from UNAIDS, a joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, asserted that the international community "must move beyond the classical understanding" to include sexual...

In the long, dreary annals of judicial idiocy, perhaps the stupidest words ever uttered by a black-robed booby were contained in the recent California Supreme Court decision mandating homosexual marriage. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Ronald M. George declared: “In light of these circumstances, we conclude that retention of the traditional definition of marriage (a man and a woman) does not constitute a state interest sufficiently compelling, under the strict scrutiny equal protection standard, to justify withholding that status from same-sex couples.” Curiously, George is saying the government of California lacks any compelling interest in maintaining the integrity of...

SAN FRANCISCO — California's highest court considered this week whether doctors' religious beliefs give them the right to withhold medical treatment from lesbians and gay men, a group specifically protected under state anti-discrimination laws. Taking up a case that has pitted the promise of religious liberty against the guarantee of equal access, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments May 28 in a lawsuit brought by a woman who claims her Christian doctors refused to perform artificial insemination on her because of her sexual orientation.

The California Supreme Court's historic declaration that same-sex couples can marry will be tested in November when voters face a measure that would enact a constitutional ban on such marriages – and two new polls indicate that it will be a close one. The court set aside a 2000 ballot measure that barred recognition of same-sex marriages but, the new polls indicate, voters have been moving the other way. A Los Angeles Times poll of registered voters, taken on May 20-21, a few days after the Supreme Court decision, found that 51 percent disapproved of the Supreme Court's decree, while...

They say we are tired of culture wars. Tell that to the California Supreme Court, which didn't sound tired at all when it lobbed a big, fat hand grenade into the marriage debate. Ideas have consequences. And the California court endorsed two big, brand-new, very bad ideas. The first idea is that the internationally recognized human right to marry includes same-sex marriage. In U.S. constitutional law, fundamental human rights are those deeply rooted in our traditions. Not even in Massachussetts or in New Jersey could the courts quite stomach the idea that same-sex marriage is deeply rooted in those traditions....

Americans seem mesmerized by the word "change." And, by golly, they sure got it last week from the California Supreme Court. It is difficult to imagine a single social change greater than redefining marriage from opposite sex to include members of the same sex. Nothing imaginable -- leftward or rightward -- would constitute as radical a change in the way society is structured as this redefining of marriage for the first time in history: Not another Prohibition, not government taking over all health care, not changing all public education to private schools, not America leaving the United Nations, not rescinding...

Family fracture, unwed births cost us dearly By Leah Ward Sears For the Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/24/08 This year, nearly four of every 10 babies will be born outside of marriage. We know statistically and intuitively that, overall, children do not fare as well when their parents are divorced or never married. As a judge, I know that 65 percent of all civil cases heard in Georgia's superior courts involve issues regarding children and families. We also know that in 2005, more than 14,000 children were in the care of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services; more than...

Would this not send a strong message to support Christianity? Would it not also be a counter to the homosexual “Day of Silence?” Any comments?

A broad coalition of black conservatives from across the country are holding a press conference to urge former Governor Mike Huckabee to stay in the presidential race for the Republican nomination until the convention. "Governor Huckabee should not be intimidated to stop his bid for the Republican nomination," states Don Scoggins, veteran GOP activist and ... president of Republicans for Black Empowerment, a DC-based national grassroots organization. The concern of the group is the pressure that is mounting by Republican talking heads to push Governor Huckabee out of the race. The consensus is that Huckabee's campaign was deliberately sabotaged by...

A lifetime ban on public criticism of homosexuality was upheld against a Catholic activist in Canada by his province's superior court.

Just when he thought the media lovefest would never end–what with the deeply troubling open-borders and soft-on-crime charges of his critics failing to stick–GOP front-runner Mike Huckabee gets a Saturday surprise from the Associated Press, which dug up an old questionnaire probing his views on AIDS funding and homosexuality: Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.” As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated...

In September, I posted another vanity (linked below) in which I observed that the historical trends in this election favored Fred Thompson. Since then, his RCP average has dropped from about 22% to 16-17%. In the more volatile Rasmussen daily tracking poll, he has also dropped to 16%, about a 10 point drop from his post announcement high. In light of the above poll numbers, is it time for me to issue a mea culpa? No. This is not at all inconsistent with the hypothesis of my previous post. Neither of the successful insurgent candidates in modern times, Reagan or...

Isn't it amazing they all have more important things to do to get elected President than to meet face to face with Christian and Jewish leaders who represent millions and millions of votes? I tell you it is gut-wrenching fear that kept them away. They are scared to death of the questions. They're scared to death they won't have a good answer. They're scared to death they might say something they will live to regret. So, all four of the "front-runners" have decided "to play it safe." Playing it safe means not showing up, making excuses for their absence and...

Underlying the hurry to disown the senator, of course, is the party’s brutal agenda of trumpeting the gay-marriage issue. To the extent Senator Craig, a stalwart in the family values caucus, might morph into a blatant hypocrite before the voters’ eyes, he reflects on the party’s record in demonizing homosexuality. The rush to cast him out betrays the party’s intolerance, which is on display for the public in all of its ugliness. But it also betrays their political uneasiness as the next election approaches.

Like the Olympics, it's a game that's played every four years. The media march out on the field in their ideologically matching blazers and try to convince the GOP to ditch social issues. Their pitch goes something like this: Republican voters are far more moderate than their party's platform. The day of the religious right has come and gone. With pro-life, pro-marriage stands, the party alienates legions of voters who agree with it on taxes, spending and defense. An article in the July 5 Wall Street Journal ("Giuliani Support Hints at Shift") argues, "Mr. Giuliani's lead in the polls -...

Monday night marked the Democrats' most interesting debate to date – which is to say, the audience fell unconscious about halfway through, as opposed to during the opening statements. But amid all of the technological hubbub and political jockeying, there was one question that stood out. The questioner was Rev. Reggie Longcrier, pastor of Exodus Mission and Outreach Church in Hickory, N.C. "Sen. Edwards said his opposition to gay marriage is influenced by his Southern Baptist background," Longcrier stated. "Most Americans agree it was wrong and unconstitutional to use religion to justify slavery, segregation and denying women the right to...

It was good to read that Pope Benedict sent a message of support to the Scout movement on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. August 1 marks the centenary of the first Scout camp, organized by Sir Robert (later Lord) Baden-Powell on the island of Brownsea, in England. Boy Scouts, and the values which the Scouting movement inculcates, have attracted the admiration of great men from the movement's earliest days. Its beginnings were Edwardian, and it has preserved much of the best of that sunny and admirable period of Western civilization. In a letter addressed to Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, president...

With the predictability of a John McCain temper tantrum (or a John Edwards $200-haircut), every two year the Democrats announce that they're going to fight like hell for the religious vote - a vow duly reported by the media in the hushed tones of revelation. Thus, a story on the recent CNN Democratic presidential forum began with the following observation: "After barring their souls in a live television confessional, top Democratic White House hopefuls have put Republicans on notice that religious voters are up for grabs." At the forum, sponsored by Jim (Hugo-Chavez-Is-My- Shepard) Wallis and his Sojourners collective, Hillary...

Two things that those on the far left who support big government cannot abide by are private gun ownership and homeschooling – and largely for the same reason. I know it may sound surprising, and perhaps some people might roll their eyes and say former NRA Presidents must feel an uncontrollable urge to think everything should somehow equate to supporting gun rights. But it's a fair statement to say those on the liberal end of the spectrum oppose both gun ownership and homeschooling for the same reason: There are core values in common between gun ownership and homeschooling. These commonalities...

The midterm elections that swept congressional Democrats into power sparked fresh obituaries for the religious right. Are the obituary writers correct? Is the traditional-values movement declining? Has the nation had enough of "moralizing busybodies," as Newsweek's Jonathan Alter put it, influencing policy? According to analysts on the left and right, the traditional-values movement isn't dead or even dying. In fact, four of its largest groups -- Family Research Council Action, Focus on the Family Action, American Values and Alliance Defense Fund -- are planning their second "values voters summit" in October. All 2008 presidential candidates have been invited to the...

''It was a lucky break.'' That is an amazing way for a 12-year-old to describe a broken leg that led to the discovery of her malignant bone cancer. Her name is Julia Wagner. And two days before she entered the seventh grade last August, she was jumping with her brothers on their trampoline when she fell off and completely snapped her leg. When the doctor examined her X-ray, he discovered an even greater danger needing medical intervention – a bone tumor at the very point of the fissure. Like a needle in a haystack, it was a miraculous find through...

Canada's Christians have been trounced and their venture into the sacrosanct precinct of secular politics has proved a singular failure, brayed the heathen last week, after the House of Commons endorsed gay marriage by a much bigger majority than when it approved of it last year. The heathen in this case was a senior columnist in the super-secularist Globe and Mail, who wrote in undisguised exaltation: "Thoughtful evangelical Christians must [now] ask themselves some hard questions, such as: 'Isn't it about time we admit we've failed? That, both here and in the United States, our efforts to influence the political...

After decades of excoriating evangelical Christians as bigoted morons, foaming-at-the-mouth fanatics and vile hypocrites -- both sexually-obsessed and sexually-repressed (part Elmer Gantry, part Elmer Fudd) -- the media has hit on a new tactic. The cover story ("America's God Complex - Like George W. Bush, The Religious Right Is At The Crossroads") in the November 13th Newsweek explains that evangelicals aren't really all that bad - it's just that the poor fools have been duped by the Republican Party, their energies (which should be devoted to more worthwhile endeavors) diverted to sordid politics. But there's hope that the Bible Belt...

Be nice. It's now the law in one Canadian city. Calgary, Alberta, has new regulations that ban public fighting, spitting, defecation and urination. Loitering or putting your feet up on public benches are no-nos, too. Officials said they're tired of the disgusting and disrespectful behavior. Violators can be fined, under an ordinance passed Monday. But critics charge the anti-rudeness regulations are aimed at the homeless in city parks. The city council narrowly passed the legislation. Laurie Fuhr of the Calgary Housing Action Initiative said she and her group tried to quash the bylaw and they plan to continue fighting it,...

NEW YORK (AP) - With the congressional sex scandal still troubling Republicans, one of the United States' top evangelical leaders is now accused of paying for gay sex. Heading into Tuesday's elections, liberals and some conservatives are saying the Republican party that prides itself on family values has a hypocrisy problem. Ted Haggard, a staunch foe of same-sex marriage and occasional participant in White House conference calls, resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and head of his Colorado church following allegations he met monthly with a homosexual prostitute for three years. Haggard denies having sex with the...

In the most bizarre twist of a surreal campaign, Republicans could lose control of the House of Representatives due in part to disgraced Congressman Mark Foley's salacious e-mails to under-aged pages. If that happens, the beneficiary will be the party that has uncritically embraced the gay-rights movement -- which in turn embraces other things. Speaking of double standards: In 1983, Massachusetts Congressman Gary Studds (who passed away a few days ago) was found to have had sexual relations with a 16-year-old male page (No cyber-stalking for the Bay State perv.) He was censured by the House, then repeatedly reelected by...

Canada's Harper government delightfully surprised both its friends and its foes last week. It leaked the fact that it may bring in a "Defence of Religions Act" to protect critics of homosexual practice from prosecution under human rights codes, and to prohibit the firing of marriage commissioners who refuse on the grounds of their religion to "marry" homosexual couples. Social conservative allies were surprised because opposition to gay marriage, which had begun to seem a lost cause, was being revived. Government foes are equally delighted, because they assume that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has finally made a blunder that will...

While much of the world was watching the forced conversions of two kidnapped Fox News journalists in the Gaza Strip, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took a huge step toward forcing millions of Californians to convert. It's not Islam that Schwarzenegger and the state are forcibly pushing through all schools that accept any public form of financial aid for students. It's paganism. It's the worship of Baal. It's a primitive form of religion that is making a comeback. It's a faith that says sacrifice your sons and daughters on this altar – or else. In case you missed the stunning news, Schwarzenegger...

Good turns' ought to counthttp://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/15140277.htm http://tinyurl.com/n2kxw Posted on Fri, Jul. 28, 2006 Hans Zeiger In 1928, the City of Philadelphia made a promise to the Boy Scouts "in perpetuity." That was the city's arrangement for its leased land to the Scouts at 22d and Winter Streets, where today sits the headquarters of the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council. In exchange for the city property, the Boy Scouts have contributed countless "good turns" to Philadelphia. A good turn is an act of kindness, a volunteer project, a daily decision to invest in the lives of others. Scouting teaches boys to...

Scouts denied funding http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/homepage/local_story_138230721.html http://tinyurl.com/n2l7h Published: May 18, 2006 11:07 pm Kelli Hernandez VALDOSTA — Decades of continued financial support to the Boy Scouts stopped after the Bank of America Charitable Foundation denied their request for funding this year, according to a letter written by Michael Harp, Market President for Bank of America. The letter, addressed to Scout Executive Matt Hart, with the Alapaha Area Council Boy Scouts of America, outlined the Bank’s newly adopted non-discriminatory policy for charitable giving. According to the letter, “under the non-discrimination policy, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation cannot provide funding to any organization...

EU Uneasy with Poland's Move to Right by Rachel Martin Weekend Edition Sunday, February 19, 2006 · Poland's new conservative government intends to clean up corruption and re-instill moral values in Polish society. The cultural shift is already causing waves in the European Union.Warsaw. Ruling Conservatives in Poland reached an agreement to form a coalition with Populist formation Samoobrona and ultra catholic extreme-rightist party League of Polish Families (LPF), French newspaper Le Figaro reads today. The agreement eliminates the risk of new parliamentary elections only four months after the last vote. Government of Conservative Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz was in...

Alan Keyes Thursday, October 13th 2:00PM … On The Kevin Fobbs Show Seasoned statesman. Alan Keyes spent 11 years with the U.S. State Department. He served in the U.S. Foreign Service and on the staff of the National Security Council before becoming Ronald Reagan's ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, where he represented the interests of the United States in the U.N. General Assembly (1983-85). In 1985, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations (1985-88). Genuine conservative. Keyes was President of Citizens Against Government Waste (1989-91) and founder of National Taxpayers' Action Day. As...

Ballot Language "The constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

JUDGING BY LETTERS to the editor and furious Internet circulation, the New York Times struck a collective nerve the other week with its front-page story announcing that "Many Women at Elite Colleges Set Career Path to Motherhood." According to the article, surveys of 138 female students at Yale revealed that roughly 60 percent planned to cut back or stop work when they had children. Scattered interviews at other high-end schools confirmed that many of today's young women do not dream of supercharged 12-hour days at the future office, at least not when their children are young. And though hardly scientific,...

After their shellacking in November, Democratic politicians promised to do a better job of telling voters about their moral values. But judging by a candid report last week from key party strategists, Democrats have made little progress presenting themselves in a way that would recapture rural voters or make inroads into Republican turf. The report by the Democracy Corps, based on interviews in rural areas and Republican-leaning states, offered a further testament to the cultural divide in America that has worked to Republicans' advantage in elections. In response, several Democratic strategists said they are working to reverse voters' perceptions about...

May 19, 1:22 AM (ET) The land crew waits for the arrival of the USS Nimitz into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii May 18, 2005. The... Full Image Google sponsored links Eliminate Your Debt Today - Consolidate Your Loans Into Easy Affordable Payments & Start Saving! www.next-day-loans.com Get out of Debt - Free consultation on your options from professional counselors Preceptfinancial.com By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans on a U.S. House of Representatives committee retreated from a sweeping ban on women in combat support and service units, and instead put into law the Pentagon's policy barring women from direct ground combat...

Liberals and libertarians like to ask, "How can the relationship of two people who love each other but are the same sex be detrimental to society?" How does porn hurt you or me? How does smoking pot hurt my community? What is the impact of casual sex or general filth on TV to my family? Perhaps George Will said it best when he wrote, "Some pleasures are contemptible because they are coarsening. They are not merely private vices; they have public consequences in driving the culture's downward spiral." All the vices listed above in some way do touch our lives....

We've been close friends for years. We have shared Sabbath meals and addressed one another's constituencies. One of us is a very large black man, the other is an average size white guy. One of us raises Rottweiler dogs, the other sails boats. One of us is a Christian pastor while the other is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi. Yet for all these differences, something recently united us. And it was not that we're both bald or that we both have beards! What happened is that the senior rabbi of one of Seattle's largest Reform congregations attacked us in a local...

MUCH TIME MAY PASS before we fully understand the political ramifications of the Terri Schiavo case. For now, though, it seems that Republicans are taking a fearful beating. Opinion polls consistently show that a large majority of Americans disapproved of the effort--bipartisan, to be sure, but led by Republicans--to keep Mrs. Schiavo alive. To add insult to injury, most poll respondents hold the seemingly-inconsistent belief that the Republicans are not sincere, but are trying to capitalize on the Schiavo tragedy for political advantage. One reason for this perception may be the "GOP talking points memo" that was allegedly distributed on...

hate to admit it, but I think I understand the American Civil Liberties Union. I think I know what this group of hateful, degenerate perverts is really about. I think I know what makes them tick. Some of my insight may be due to the fact that I actually once believed much of the nonsense these extremists still peddle today. I know their bogus arguments inside out. And because I understand the ACLU, I can anticipate its next move. That's why it didn't surprise me last week when it was reported that the Boy Scouts of America is pulling the...

Hollywood Needs A Heartland Wake Up Call By Kevin Fobbs February 23, 2005 Somehow I have to believe that comedian and actor Chris Rock the host of the upcoming 74th Academy Awards has gotten it at least half right when he said recently that America really should not take these awards too seriously. Of course the pundits of Hollywood struck back and tried to dethrone him before he could even ascend to the throne as host. The part Chris Rock did not cover is probably even more important to Heartland Americans than his rather obvious comments about the award's importance....

2 movies I found worth watching recently. I found good undercurrents of traditional values. "Spanglish" starring Adam Sandler (isn't he pro-Bush?) about a man in LA married to a neurotic wife (who is hilarious BTW) who hires a beautiful maid with a daughter. The maid cannot speak a word of English and is fiercely protective of her daughter. Adam Sandler is drawn to the maid because of his neurotic wife but in the end remains faithful to the wife. Lots of family values in this one. No affair takes place. "In Good Comapny" with Dennis Quaid. About an advertising exec...

GUEST OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Princeton, N.J. AS Republicans revel in President Bush's inauguration and prepare for his agenda-setting State of the Union address next week, many Democrats would like to consider almost anything but the substance of politics as the reason for their defeat last November. If only John Kerry had been a stronger candidate. If only the message had been framed differently. If only the party's strategists were as tough as the guys on the other side. The limits of candidates and campaigns, however, can't explain the Democrats' long-term decline. And while the institutional decay at the party's base -...

Expert Who Noted Shift in Politics and Society as Gen X Took Leadership in 2004, Sees Emergence of Increasingly Values-Driven Society in the Year Ahead Ann A. Fishman Available for Year-End News Analysis, Predictions NEW YORK, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Stay-at-home moms are "in," and so are genuine heroes. Putting career ahead of family is "out," and so are laissez- faire attitudes toward planning for retirement. These are a few of the important Cultural Trends to watch for in 2005, according to Generational expert Ann Fishman. She says they are the product of a turning point in American society that...

Teen sex is down, respect for parents is up, marriage is becoming more popular, and divorce is on the wane. Does that sound like a fantasy? It’s not. As Kay Hymowitz recently reported in City Journal, many indicators point to a return to traditional values in America. Hymowitz’s article is titled “It’s Morning After in America,” suggesting a general feeling of revulsion against a long period of debauchery. She writes, “Wave away the colored smoke of the Jackson family circus, Paris Hilton, and the antics of San Francisco, and you can see how Americans have been self-correcting from a decades-long...

On Monday, April 22, nine members of TFP Student Action traveled to the College Park campus of the University of Maryland to collect surveys and pass out flyers in defense of traditional marriage. In 4 hours, Student Action collected more than 150 surveys, asking the opinion of students on homosexual “marriage,” and passed out nearly 2,000 “Stop Same-Sex Marriage” flyers. These flyers refute the scientific arguments used by the homosexual movement to push their agenda. Radical Moral Relativism Perhaps the most striking and pervasive aspect of those on campus in favor of same-sex “marriage” was their radical moral relativism. According...

As Georgia Democrats head to the polls to choose a presidential nominee on Super Tuesday, the red clay on the soles of their shoes may be about the only thing that distinguishes them from Democrats elsewhere on national issues. Like voters in other Democratic primaries, they are dissatisfied with, if not downright angry at, President Bush; worried about jobs, health care and education; and upset about the war in Iraq, according to a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution/WSB-TV poll conducted by Zogby International. Jean Morgan, 68, a retired nurse from Cartersville, hasn't decided whether to vote for front-runner Sen. John Kerry of...

A cheerleader of the sexual revolution has second thoughts.A few weeks ago, a chirpy researcher from a London morning show asked me to appear on a TV debate about sex, along with an older, married couple who attend “swingers parties,” a teenage twit who notoriously stripped off her shirt in public in Ibiza and was rightly arrested, and Lorraine Candy, the editor of British Cosmopolitan. My role was to “even out the debate”—in other words, to be a rabidly right-wing, “no sex, please, we’re conservative” voice, and thus discredit the conservative viewpoint. But as we talked, the researcher, part of...