Free Republic

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The fate of a little-noticed ballot measure in strongly Democratic Oregon serves as a warning to President Barack Obama and his party about the political perils of immigration policy. Even as Oregon voters were legalizing recreational marijuana and expanding Democratic majorities in state government, they decided by a margin of 66-34 to cancel a new state law that would have provided driver's licenses to people who are in the United States illegally. Obama is considering acting on his own, as early as this week, to possibly shield from deportation up to 5 million immigrants now living...

In a corner of Washington National Cathedral, several hundred Muslim worshipers and other invited guests gathered Friday afternoon for a first-ever recitation of weekly Muslim prayers at the iconic Christian church and to hear leaders of both faiths call for religious unity in the face of extremist violence and hate. Nevertheless, the carefully scripted ceremony was marred once when a well-dressed middle-age woman in the audience suddenly rose and began shouting that “America was founded on Christian principles. . . . Leave our church alone!” She was swiftly ushered out by security aides, and the service continued.

The Washington National Cathedral will host a Muslim prayer service on Friday -- for the first time in American history. Why is National Cathedral hosting a prayer service for a religion that opposes the teachings of Christianity? I asked Erwin Lutzer, the pastor of Moody Church, about the significance of this moment. What he told me should be shared! Pastor Lutzer: "The National Cathedral was dedicated to be a house of worship for Christians. Although tolerance is a commendable virtue, we might well wonder why this Cathedral will be used to host a prayer service for a religion which opposes...

Date: 12/13/14 Time: 11am Location: WA State Capital, Gateway Park. 416 Sid Snyder Ave SW Olympia, WA Pass the word. WE STAND! On Nov 4th 2014 a new gun law was passed in Washington that will make as much as handing a friend your gun a felony. We will not tolerate this law and I am going to do what I said I would do in my video. Will you bow down and lick the boots of tyrants, or will you stand for the liberty of your children? We’re not waiting for politicians, judges or lawyers. Our birthright is...

Washington, D.C.: The Seat of the Immoral World Government By Julio Severo While I am writing about the U.S. government as the seat of the immoral world government, the U.S. Department of State and USAID are hosting the third Conference to Advance the Human Rights of and Promote Inclusive Development for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Persons on November 12-14, in Washington, D.C. Leading U.S. government officials are speaking at the event. The conference is bringing together government officials, private funders, business leaders, scholars and homosexual activists from more than 30 countries to increase coordination, cooperation and resources...

From the outset to the bitter end, Democrats would not take her seriously. She was too young, they said, unseasoned and unqualified—just a pretty face with a thin resume and no political experience. Then 24-year-old Melanie Stambaugh shocked them all and won going away.

A gun rights group called “Resolute for Arms and Liberty,” organized by two Central Washington men, plans to openly violate “in every way possible” the state’s newly enacted Initiative 594 at a Dec. 13 demonstration on the State Capitol steps. The group’s Facebook page, decorated with a drawing of two crossed assault rifles, voices its opposition in “early Armageddon” prose. I-594 requires criminal background checks for those purchasing firearms at gun shows and on lines, as is now the case with guns bought from federally licensed firearms dealers. “Will you bow down and lick the boots of tyranny or will...

After winning re-election last Tuesday, Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Hillary Clinton was a "big loser" in the midterms and embodies "everything that's wrong with Washington." Walker, whose re-election has made him a top presidential contender, is not the first potential GOP 2016 candidate to attack potential opponent Clinton. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), another top presidential contender, immediately started a "Hillary's Losers" campaign on social media on Tuesday, highlighting all of the Democrats who lost after Clinton campaigned for them. Walker also said on Meet The Press that voters are fed up with the Washington that Clinton embodies. He...

Photo by Dave Workman I-594 in Washington State is a horribly written initiative.   It consists of 18 page of legalese that seems more intent on trapping legal gun owners than on reducing violent crime.  Yet, it passed with almost 60% of the vote.  How did this happen?   I-594 (pdf) link.  Here is an analysis of the initiative by David Kopel. There is a long history of disarmist initiatives that have started with strong majority support in the polling, that find on election day the support has evaporated and they lose by large margins.   I had some hope that this...

Initiative 594 just passed in Washington State, bringing on residents mandatory gun background checks and making it a felony to privately purchase or even hand a gun to a friend without government permission. A story in the Seattle Times the morning after the mid-term elections, revealed the true motives of the I-594 campaign and its proponents. It didn’t take long for the other shoe to drop and the rest of their anti-rights agenda to be exposed. Other states they’re now targeting with initiatives include Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Maine. Our rights are and always have been their real target, not...

Breaking The Law Under WA-I594

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says she want to remain the top Democrat in the House, announcing she will run again for her leadership position.Her take on the massive pro-life election victory on Tuesday night is that Republicans won a victory because of “voter suppression.” The Washington Times has more: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked her fellow Democrats to keep her on as their leader in the new Congress next year, saying she still has unfinished goals she wants to accomplish. She said the chief message she took from Tuesday’s election, which saw Democrats eviscerated at all levels, is...

I-594 makes it a crime to transfer a gun to another person without doing a background check except for some particular exceptions. Using just one example will demonstrate a particular egregious chilling effect upon our right to keep and bear arms. Suppose your spouse wishes to use your gun for a week or two while their gun is being repaired. You would think there shouldn’t be a problem with an innocent act like this. You would expect there would be an exception in the law for this. The closest thing to an exception for this case is: This section does...

NEW YORK (AP) — Voters in Oregon and the District of Columbia approved ballot measures Tuesday allowing the use of marijuana by adults, elating legalization activists who hope to extend their winning streak across the country. Oregon will join the company of Colorado and Washington state, where voters approved the recreational use of pot two years ago. And the District of Columbia is on the same path unless Congress, which has review power, blocks the move. Still to come were results from Alaska, which also had a marijuana-legalization measure on its ballot Tuesday. Other volatile issues on state ballots include...

It's All Morally Relative - End Support for Israel An Analysis of the After Effects of the Terrorist Attack by R. Alexander September 19, 2001 Many of us were surprised to hear responses coming from both U.S.citizens and our so-called allies suggesting the U.S. somehow deserved the terrorist attack. With righteous moral indignation, these enlightened critics, suddenly experts on terrorism, lecture us, claiming "this would not have happened if the U.S. hadn't been intervening in the Middle East." This criticism is said with a straight face by Americans who see no problem driving an oversized SUV that gets 12 miles ...

This image on an anti-Mark Miloscia website has since been taken down. Seattle, Wash., Oct 31, 2014 / 01:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Mark Miloscia, a candidate for Washington's state senate, has been attacked for his Catholic faith and adherence to Church teaching on a website belittling his faith as incompatible with representing his district. “'Mississippi Mark' has always worn his church on his sleeve. Rather than represent the people of Federal Way, he has best represented the people of The Vatican,” read an image which was posted on markmiloscia.info, a website erected by critics of Miloscia, the Republican senate candidate...

Two “Stop the Violence” organizers allegedly beat one of their colleagues so severely that he vomited blood and was left unconscious in critical condition. Nikole Ardeno and Emanuel Velez, both 30, accused their former roommate of stealing their property, and allegedly punched and kicked him in the street until he had seizures. Arrested moments later, Ardeno was still wearing the same “Stop the Violence” T-shirt she had on the night before when she coordinated a march protesting two recent shootings, Washington Police Chief Chris Luppino said. The victim, Joshua Magraff, also is a community organizer with the anti-violence group, and...

This is a funny 911 call involving a lottery ticket.

Over at the Constitution Society, author J. Neil Schulman conducted a remarkable exercise. He sent the text of the Second Amendment not to a lawyer but to an expert on the English Language: Roy Copperud taught Journalism at USC for 17 years and served on the usage panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. Mirriam Webster’s dictionary frequently cites him as an expert on American English usage. Copperud: The right is not granted by the amendment; its existence is assumed. The thrust of the sentence is that the right shall be preserved inviolate for the sake of ensuring a militia.” Shulman:...

Within hours of the mass killing Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington State, a number of gun control groups and lawmakers were quick to make statements calling for action including increased regulation. Some of these national groups, such as Everytown for Gun Safety, have invested heavily to the tune of nearly $2 million into a ballot initiative in the state, I-594, to expand background checks to include almost all gun sales. Everytown was joined in its call to action by the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR), the direct sponsor of the measure. To those voices were added members...