Free Republic

The Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco said Monday it’s his duty to proclaim “the truth about marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife,” even when those views are unpopular. The comment by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone came in response to a coalition of liberal politicians, fellow clergy and gay-rights leaders who have urged him to skip an upcoming March for Marriage event in Washington. Cordileone, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ subcommittee on the promotion and defense of marriage, is a scheduled speaker at Thursday’s march and rally sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage and...

The public schools in Washington, D.C., spent $29,349 per pupil in the 2010-2011 school year, according to the latest data from National Center for Education Statistics, but in 2013 fully 83 percent of the eighth graders in these schools were not "proficient" in reading and 81 percent were not "proficient" in math. These are the government schools in our nation's capital city -- where for decades politicians of both parties have obstreperously pushed for more federal involvement in education and more federal spending on education. Government has manifestly failed the families who must send their children to these schools, and...

Claiming that the District of Columbia's ObamaCare exchange is just too darn small in size to pay for itself, Mayor Vince Gray (D) is proposing the city council "approve legislation granting the District's exchange board broad new power to tax any health-related insurance product sold in the city -- regardless of whether it's offered on the exchange," Washington Post staffer Aaron Davis reported this morning.

A coalition of ranchers, farmers and native tribes are staging protests against the Keystone XL pipeline on the National Mall this week with teepees, horses and a sacred fire that will burn for days The National Mall in Washington, D.C., will look like a scene out of an Old Western this week, as the Cowboy and Indian Alliance holds a multi-day protest against the Keystone XL pipeline complete with teepees, horses and religious ceremonies. The confederation of ranchers, farmers and members of Native American tribes kicks off the week of protest and civil disobedience Tuesday, Earth Day, with a horse...

This is a topic that one must approach delicately so as not to offend the reader’s sensibilities, but since it is a matter of importance for which you may receive a bill for some portion of $470 million, we start out with an analogy. You need energy, so you eat. Through the miracle of digestion, your body sorts what you have eaten, say, a pastrami on rye with a glob of coleslaw and a dill pickle, and plucks out the nutrients — proteins, carbohydrates and sugars it needs to generate power. Then it jettisons the rest. What your body jettisons...

n an interview published Thursday in Roll Call, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) lamented that his $174,000 annual salary was not enough to live "decently" in Washington, D.C. "I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid," Moran said. "I understand that it’s widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world." The remarks came as the House begins markup on a bill to fund all legislators' salaries. Moran is planning to introduce an amendment that would offer lawmakers a per...

"9/11 plotter released in Syria prisoner exchange" SNIPPET: "The al-Qaeda recruiter reputed to have assembled the so-called Hamburg Cell, which planned and largely carried out the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, has been set free in a prisoner exchange between rebel and regime forces in Syria. Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham has secured the release of 9/11 plotter and alleged al-Qaeda core member Mohammed Haydar Zammar, adding to concerns about the composition of the Islamic Front. A naturalized German citizen of Syrian origin, Mohammed Haydar Zammar left Germany shortly after the attacks and traveled to Morocco, where he was reportedly...

Five firefighters and four emergency dispatchers will face discipline over the poor handling and lack of response to an incident in which firefighters did not come to the aid of a man who collapsed across the street from a D.C. fire station, according to a report released Friday. The 13-page internal report issued by Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Paul A. Quander Jr. lays the blame on both the trained medical personnel inside the fire station who refused to come to the aid of a man who was suffering from a heart attack as well as on emergency...

Feeling chipper about the economy? Think the future looks so bright, you gotta wear shades? Chances are, you’re either stuck in a 1980s time warp or … you live in Washington, DC. Gallup published its polling on economic confidence by state, and the only “state” to have a positive rating is the one where all the cash is going. Instapundit refers to this as a “Hunger Games update,” and it’s difficult to dispute that characterization: Although scores on Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index improved in most U.S. states in 2013, the index remained negative in all 50. Only the District of...

Gallup’s latest economic findings are seemingly straight out of the dystopian novel “The Hunger Games.” That is to say, every state in the nation boasted a negative economic index score; only the District of Columbia -- the capital city -- is seemingly prospering. Surprise: The pollsters posit some interesting takeaways for us to consider: (1) the disparity between the most economically confident state (Massachusetts) and the least economically confident state (West Virginia) is 43 percentage points. (This excludes the District of Columbia, of course, which is not a state).That’s an enormous gap, and one that doesn’t appear to be shrinking,...

Harry Reid and his Democrat Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) are launching all out send me some money pleas to combat those old meanies, the Koch Brothers who “have already severely outspent the Democrats” in six battleground states that hold the key to a Senate takeover in November. Saying the consequences could be “ABSOLUTELY DIRE,” Reid and Senate Dems are warning that recent polls favor a Republican control shift because the math already is baked in. “That’s why it’s absolutely critical that 10,000 folks step up in the next 96 hours to respond. . .if we can’t fill the gap in...

77-year-old collapsed across street from DC firehouse (Newser) – Marie Mills' father collapsed Saturday afternoon in a shopping center parking lot across the street from a Washington, DC, firehouse—but firefighters didn't rush to his aid, despite repeated pleas for help, and Medric "Cecil" Mills, 77, died of a heart attack. Marie Mills tells WTTG that bystanders were "screaming and hollering" at a firefighter across the street, and three people even ran over to Engine 26, but they were told rescuers could not respond until 911 was called, the Washington Post reports. Sources say that when 911 was called, an...

Vice President Joe Biden told NBC's Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday that he believed that he would make a good president. "In my heart, I'm confident that I could make a good president," Biden said. "It's a very different decision to decide whether or not to run for president." Biden indicated that he had not made a decision to run for president or not but would focus on his job as President Obama's vice president.

High levels of natural gas are escaping from the aging pipes beneath the streets of the nation’s capital, creating potentially harmful concentrations in some locations, a new study has found. Natural gas leaks pose explosion risks, health concerns, and contribute to climate change. The paper, which appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, also provides information that could help companies justify additional financial incentives for fixing leaks quickly. Robert Jackson and colleagues note that natural gas leakage is a serious problem on multiple levels, including impacts on the economy and climate. Property damage is estimated at $133 million...

Nellie Gray, a steadfast opponent of abortion who for almost 40 years led a yearly protest march in Washington that drew tens of thousands of supporters, and whose battle cry was “No exception! No compromise!,” was found dead on Monday at her home in Washington. She was 88.

Washington, they say, is Hollywood for ugly people. It’s also debate club for the logically impaired. The past year included its share of fallacies, sophistries, oversimplifications and utter absurdities. But a few prominent arguments committed the worst offenses against rational thought. Below are the three worst arguments made in Washington in 2013. These weren’t illogical brain freezes or odd beliefs spouted by backbenchers. These arguments were deliberately devised, promulgated and repeated by prominent politicians, which makes them all the more embarrassing. 1. “If we can save only one life…” The demagoguery started early in 2013, as Democrats tried to push...

Here in Washington DC a national prayer service was originally scheduled for the National Cathedral (which is still closed due to the earthquake damage – see photo, right). It is now slated for the Kennedy Center. Yet, the “national” quality of the service is disputed by some, including Washington Examiner columnist Ken Klukowski who writes the following commentary. His remarks are bold, black italic text. My remarks are normal text red. The article here is excerpted the full text can be read here: Washington Examiner The National Cathedral is an Episcopal church, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion...

St. Cecilia I went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of The Immaculate Conception here in Washington DC  last week to celebrate Mass the TV Mass. Afterward I went to the crypt church and took a series of pictures of the beautiful mosaics of the women of the Scriptures and early Church. Among them are Agatha, Agnes, Anastasia, Anne, Brigid, Catherine, Cecilia, Lucy, Margarita, Perpetua, Felicity, and Susanna.At the right is a mosaic of St. CeciliaThe Mosaics date to 1927 and were designed and installed by Ravenna Mosaic Co, of St. Louis. They are  the backdrops for the...

ABC This Week viewers were treated to a classic conservative versus liberal debate Sunday. When former Clinton labor secretary Robert Reich tried to blame the increase in poverty in the past five years on Republicans, former Speaker of the House and current CNN host Newt Gingrich called it "baloney" firing back, "Every major city which is a center of poverty is run by Democrats" (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary): Gingrich Schools Reich: 'Every Major City Which Is a Poverty Center Is Run By Democrats' JONATHAN KARL, SUBSTITUTE HOST: And let me ask you, Mr....

Amid a number of scandals that have made national headlines, the elected officials running Washington D.C.’s perpetually corrupt local government have come up with another winner—a bill to allow non U.S. citizens vote in elections. It’s simply business as usual for local government in the District of Columbia, still renowned for the appearance of Mayor Marion Barry in an FBI surveillance video smoking crack. Since being convicted—and serving time—for cocaine possession Barry has been elected to the D.C. Council multiple times and has been embroiled in a number of scandals, including taking cash payments from city contractors, failing to pay...