Free Republic

An important event occurred this week, though it went largely unnoticed because of the economic turmoil on Wall Street. On September 30 Congress allowed the 27-year-old ban on offshore oil drilling to expire. This is very good news for Americans and for our energy independence. Conversely, it should be bad news for the world's tyrants who profit enormously from our dependence upon their vast oil resources. One can hope that the expiration of this ban permanently ends the unnecessary and impractical Congressional regulation of our natural resources under the disingenuous guise of environmental protection. I should note here that we...

Every generation needs heroes. Young people especially need role models. How blessed we are that the role model of these Summer Olympics is Michael Phelps. Here is a young man who embodies self-discipline, hard work and goal orientation. It is not so much the world records he shattered. It is not only the number of medals he won. His whole outlook is to be celebrated. He has a commanding presence yet he is the boy next door. True, his endorsements will make him millions. Yet I dare say that is the furthest thing from his mind right now. As I...

August 17, 1998 was the day conservatism began to die in America. On that day, President Clinton admitted in a nationally televised address that he engaged in an improper relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky—several months after declaring that such a relationship was fictional. “Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate,” Clinton confessed. “In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible.” It was a shameful moment for Clinton—yet the country didn’t seem to care. Only a...

Free Congress Foundation frequently is asked for a recommendation for good institutions of higher learning. Paul T. Yarbrough agreed to undertake a review of the best institutions in this country. He spent months acquiring catalogues, reviewing materials and asking questions. What follows is his exclusive report. We hope this will be an annual exercise. [SNIP] For our survival as a nation, to advance the cause of liberty and preserve what is left of our Judeo-Christian culture, faith and reason must infuse the life of an American college. There is no other way to achieve excellence. Do any institutions in our...

EMP is electromagnetic radiation from an explosion (especially a nuclear explosion). The worst of the pulse lasts for only a second but any unprotected electrical equipment - and anything connected to electrical cables, which act as giant lightning rods or antennas - are affected by it. If a nation with a nuclear bomb and the ability to explode it high above an American city were to do so, it would have a massive effect in all directions. Almost immediately all communications systems in the country would be disrupted completely. No radio. No television. No internet. Indeed no electricity at all....

Last week President George W. Bush held a press conference on the current state of the economy and the high cost of energy. In it he made several important points. First, he noted that one reason gas prices are increasing is that global supply has not kept pace with the growing demand worldwide. Members of Congress, he noted, “have been vocal about foreign governments increasing their oil production; yet Congress has been just as vocal in opposition to efforts to expand our production here at home. They repeatedly blocked environmentally safe exploration in ANWR. The Department of Energy estimates that...

A pal sent this my way: a fascinating piece on George Bush and Catholicism from the Religion News Service, reprinted in tomorrow's edition of the Washington Post: Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe. Save for one other soul, Bush was the only non-Catholic in the room. But his interest in the pope's writings was no surprise to those...

WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- A group of conservatives has taken out an ad urging presumptive Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain not to tap Mitt Romney as his running mate. Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the Moral Majority, who once endorsed Romney, is among those calling on McCain to look beyond Romney, his former rival and past governor of Massachusetts, the Los Angeles Times reported. SNIP- In a newspaper ad, conservatives said Romney is "utterly unacceptable" as a vice presidential pick. The ad questions Romney's commitment to fight abortion and gay rights. "To be clear, we all welcome anyone who...

Last Thursday night the House of Representatives met in a closed session to debate H.R. 3773, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. It passed the House on Friday by a vote of 213-197. The bill is intended to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to resolve the problems modern electronic communication poses for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other agencies which pursue international terrorist networks that seek to inflict harm upon the United States. It states that a “court order is not required for electronic surveillance directed at the acquisition...

John McCain's ad guru, Mark McKinnon, is on record with his admiration of Democratic front-runner Barack Obama, and has vowed to make no television commercials which would harm Obama's campaign. Paul Weyrich, president and CEO of Free Congress Foundation, said things might have been different if information such as the revelations about McKinnon and WND's report that McCain's foundation has been funded by billionaire George Soros since 2001 had been available earlier. "This validates everything that those of us who have reservations about McCain have been saying,” Weyrich said.

I believe that the voters in this Republican nomination contest—here in Virginia and across the country—deserve a real choice. And Governor Huckabee is clearly the conservative alternative. He is the best choice, and he is my choice. So I am voting for him on Tuesday, here in Virginia. I don’t buy the idea that John McCain is a true conservative. Nor do I buy the idea that Mike Huckabee should get out of this contest. The people in the Potomac area—Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. In addition, we have many important states coming up, including my home state...

Conservatives may be surprised to hear that for over 50 years they have been successful in stopping the growth of big government. Going all the way to the early 1950s Federal spending has hovered in a fairly narrow band around 20% of GDP. But even that limited success is soon to be swamped by reality. For the Federal Government’s long-term projections show a radical change over the next 40 years, with Federal spending soaring close to 40% of GDP or more. This is due to our nation’s big entitlement programs – Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Counting state and local...

Scott Swett interview by Paul Weyrich on RighTalk Radio, December 28, 2007 Weyrich: Back with The Right Hour on the RighTalk Radio Network. I'm Paul Weyrich, and with us now is Scott Swett, who has just written a book entitled, To Set The Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs and the New Media Defeated John Kerry. Swett is a former chairman of the Free Republic Network, and was very much involved with the entire controversy over the Swift Boat veterans in the 2004 elections. Scott, welcome to the program. Swett: Thank you very much, Paul. It's good to be...

Fred Thompson received the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee on Tuesday and a surrogate for the campaign of Mitt Romney claimed Wednesday that it was motivated by money. Paul Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, says he can't find any other explanation. National Right to Life officials said Tuesday they backed Thompson because of his 100 percent voting record on pro-life issues, his willingness to back overturning Roe and the viability of his campaign. But Weyrich, a Romney backer, told the Washington Times the endorsement "makes no sense" and claimed the Thompson campaign bought off the...

Responding to the National Right to Life Committee's endorsement of Fred Thompson, Paul Weyrich suggested that Thompson's backers greased some palms. "I think in all probability the Thompson people were engaged with the National Right to Life people in financial dealing," Weyrich told the Washington Times. That's a pretty tough charge and almost certainly not what Romney's campaign wanted their big social conservative "get" to suggest (at least not publicly). Sensing opportunity to win more points from their own big "get" (the group's nod) Thompson communications director Todd Harris unloaded: "Gov. Romney is new to the pro-life movement and his...

Today’s Washington Times has a bit of an eye-opening comment, high in its story of the reaction to the National Right to Life Committee’s endorsement of Fred Thompson. Paul M. Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, said the endorsement "makes no sense," and speculated that it had been motivated by money. "I think in all probability the Thompson people were engaged with the National Right to Life people in financial dealing," said Mr. Weyrich, who has endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. "In the past, the Republican Party has funded National Right to Life, and...

Some pro-life advocates were astonished by the National Right to Life Committee's endorsement of Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson yesterday — a move they say puts politics over principle. Paul M. Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, said the endorsement "makes no sense," and speculated that it had been motivated by money. "I think in all probability the Thompson people were engaged with the National Right to Life people in financial dealing," said Mr. Weyrich, who has endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. "In the past, the Republican Party has funded National Right to Life,...

I feel comfortable saying, based on conversations with NRLC members, that Jim Bopp's attack on Sam Brownback did not help the Romney team with the NRLC. Paul Weyrich coming unglued and accusing Thompson of bribing NRLC for their endorsement is really not going to help Romney at the grassroots level. Weyrich can say what he wants, but (a) it's not true and (b) it's not helpful. I would suggest that if they don't think Thompson is a threat, the Romney camp might not want to get bogged down on this. The latest poll numbers in Iowa and South Carolina are...

There is an old hymn written by Fanny Crosby, sung at generations of camp meetings, which exclaims: "Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!" Since the emergence of evangelicalism as a cultural force in the 1950s, three approaches to politics, represented by three personalities, have emerged. They are the prophet, the priest and the kingmaker. The prophet has been psychologist James Dobson, who dispenses child-rearing advice on the radio from his Colorado ministry, Focus on the Family. On family issues, Dobson's counsel is moderate and broadly appealing. On politics, his tone sharpens. He rails against compromise on social-conservative...

WASHINGTON, DC, November 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Mitt Romney's campaign for President received a major shot in the arm on Monday in the form of an official endorsement from well-known conservative leader and chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, Paul Weyrich.  Despite a lingering uncertainty for many conservatives about Romney's authentic conservative persona due to his notorious 'flip-flopping' in recent years, Weyrich's endorsement joins a growing number of similar Romney endorsements from other notable conservative leaders. Weyrich is the founder of the Heritage Foundation and current chairman of the Free Congress Foundation.  He is considered a major leader by...

Paul Weyrich Talks About Why He Endorsed Romney - And Not the OthersNational Review Online Jim Geraghty 6 November 2007 I spoke to Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation and a founder of the Heritage Foundation and the Moral Majority, about his endorsement of Mitt Romney. “I felt it would come down to a contest between Giuliani and Romney,” Weyrich said. “I don’t want Giuliani as the nominee because a lot of our values voters will defect... I know the same argument is made about Romney, but eventually, I think those voters can be brought around. There...

Paul Weyrich, one of the nation’s most influential conservative leaders, says he is out to prevent Rudy Giuliani from winning the Republican nomination for president — and predicts the religious right will unite behind any GOP candidate except Rudy. In an exclusive interview with Newsmax.com, Weyrich also predicts Republicans face a “disaster� in the Senate in next year’s elections, says Hillary Clinton would be the easiest Democratic candidate to defeat, and charges that the Bush administration’s Iraq policy has been a “mistake� from the beginning. Weyrich is no stranger to speaking his mind. As Chairman and CEO of the Washington-based...

This is a big one folks. In a Brody File exclusive, we've found out that Paul Weyrich, the former co-founder of The Moral Majority has endorsed Mitt Romney for President. The Brody File has the press release. Read below: Today, Paul Weyrich, Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, announced his support for Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign to be our country's next President. Paul Weyrich is one of the premier leaders in the conservative movement, having founded the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council. "As he travels across the country, Governor Romney...

The Law of the Sea Treaty (“LOST” to opponents, “UNCLOS” to supporters) is up for a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this Thursday, November 1. The State Department pushed this treaty in 1981 when Ronald Reagan was President. He rejected it, primarily because of Part XI of the Treaty, which regulates minerals on the seabed outside any sovereign state's territorial waters. It establishes an International Seabed Authority (ISA) to authorize seabed exploration and mining and collect and distribute the seabed mining royalty. President Reagan strongly objected to the provisions of Part XI, saying that they were unfavorable to...

For months, social conservatives have viewed Fred Thompson as a Reaganesque savior in a dreary field of GOP presidential hopefuls. But the former Tennessee senator's early days on the campaign trail have left some prominent evangelicals underwhelmed. "I'm personally not that impressed," says Paul Weyrich, a veteran strategist who cofounded the Moral Majority. One sticking point: Thompson's stance on a same-sex marriage ban. On the trail, he has declined to endorse a constitutional amendment blocking gay marriage, instead backing a broader amendment that would bar states from imposing their laws on other states. "The [marriage ban] approach has been tried...

At last Fred D. Thompson is in the race. He skipped the Republican debate in New Hampshire in favor of an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Did he make a mistake? I believe he did. New Hampshire voters like their politics retail. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is leading because of the time he has spent there. Same for Iowa, whose caucuses are first, as to which Thompson has four months to catch up. The entry of Thompson helps former Mayor Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani. Thompson splits the conservative vote between Romney, Senator John S. McCain, III and...

do not believe it necessary to amend the Constitution frequently but there are times when an amendment is justified. One such amendment should prohibit politicians from using the phrase "I'm going back to my home state to be with my family." Usually this is code for "I have a difficult, unpredictable election coming up and it would be an embarrassment to lose as an incumbent, so I have decided to retire." Such was the case earlier this month when a well-known Member of Congress announced her retirement. But in spite of my dislike of the phrase, there are a few...

Jun 25, 2007 One of the most sacred rights Americans enjoy and have enjoyed from the earliest days of our Republic is the secret ballot. With minor exceptions over the years, when one casts a vote privacy is assured. Many states have laws that prohibit politics 100 feet from the sidewalk to the voting booth. Each law varies and people often try to take advantage of those laws, which is why most states permit poll-watchers, often hired by political parties. If a voter encounters someone breaking the law, the voter may approach a poll-watcher to alert the police. I mention...

Thompson critics cite how Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, ran circles around him during the hearings about money laundering to the Chinese during the Clinton Administration. True enough. But like Reagan I kept a daily journal. Whereas I was mentioned just twice in Reagan's journal, Reagan was mentioned many, many times in my journal. Among those references was my disappointment that Reagan failed to take advantage of many domestic issue opportunities. So in that sense "Saint Ron" and "Saint Fred" are alike. And: Those who make Reagan's legacy a myth, as if his wife Nancy were writing the script, forget that...

There are times I am so frustrated I want to scream. Such was the case this past week. I was in a gathering of around 20 well-educated and informed conservatives. The topic turned to the Presidential election. Mind you, I had written months ago that we had best find a candidate who agreed with us and then back him to the hilt. If we did so we might be able to move that candidate to the top tier. It has not happened. Moreover, exactly what I predicted would happen has taken place. Some of our group is in every camp....

What's at Stake in the 2006 Vote?Join Paul Weyrich as he hosts this panel with guests John Fund, John Gizzi, Robert Novak & Kate O'Beirne. Today on The Right Hour at 1:05pm ET, only at Rightalk.com!

Some media, especially talk radio, is sympathetic to conservatives. However, much important news is unreported. For example, President George W. Bush during the month of July did many things which pleased social conservatives. For example, the White House managed to get through both houses of Congress the Broadcast Decency Act. The president held a ceremony at the White House when the bill was signed. It took courage to push this bill through. The broadcasters, large and small, were against it. The bill greatly increases the fines for obscenity, for frontal nudity and all sorts of things that offend a decency...

Daily I am asked my opinion as to whether the Democrats are going to take over the Congress this autumn. I put the question to a dozen or so colleagues at a luncheon last week in the Capitol. Most of those who were counted believed that the GOP would hang on to both houses but by the narrowest of margins. That would resemble Congress after the 2000 election, when Speaker J. Dennis Hastert hung on to his job by a five-vote margin and the Senate was in Republican hands only by virtue of Vice President Richard G. Cheney's having broken...

President Bush's Recent Accomplishments Underreported By Paul M. Weyrich CNSNews.com Commentary August 03, 2006 Some media, especially talk radio, is sympathetic to conservatives. However, much important news is unreported. For example, President George W. Bush during the month of July did many things which pleased social conservatives. For example, the White House managed to get through both Houses of Congress the Broadcast Decency Act. The President held a ceremony at the White House when the bill was signed. It took courage to push this bill through. The broadcasters, large and small, were against it. The bill greatly increases the fines...

I have noticed that the more liberals think they are going to get back power the worse our radical friends reveal themselves. The reverse is also true. For instance, when President Richard M. Nixon was about to take the Presidential oath of office following the close election of 1968, Senators who had pounded on him mercilessly during the campaign suddenly had a different view and began referring to Nixon as a "peace maker." One particular Senator, J. William Fulbright (D-AK), suddenly believed Nixon was open-minded and had great potential to bring the divided nation together. It is beginning to look...

Arizona Senator John S. McCain, III is everywhere. He virtually lives at NBC. If not there how about CNN. And talk shows. And late night shows. Oh, how the media loves him. A maverick who came close in 2000, he is looking to make one more run at the Presidency. And at the same moment, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says he is thinking very seriously about running for President. Rudy, too, is loved by the media. How many times have you heard "America's Mayor" in introducing him. He is available to any network at the drop of a...

It was a sad day for some of us last week when the ablest Majority Leader to have held that office in the Republican House of Representatives spent his last day in Congress. I have known Tom DeLay for 22 years. One day my good friend Houston builder Bob Perry called me and said there was someone he wanted me to meet. This fellow Tom DeLay, Perry said, was a businessman, not a lawyer, and stood for the right things in the legislature.

I am asking for all Freepers to keep Paul Weyrich in your prayers. I am a personal friend of Mr. Weyrich's from Holy Transfiguration Melkite Church in McLean,VA, and his wife Joyce has told me that Paul has been in the hospital for the past week undergoing tests. He is diabetic, and an infection of some kind developed in his upper body that required him to receive a blood transfusion. Mrs. Weyrich said he has beens severely anemic, and that condition was severe enough to require the blood transfusion early last week. Paul is a beloved member of our parish...

Black Republican Candidates for the United States Senate By Paul M. Weyrich Mar 17, 2006 Republican National Chairman Kenneth B. Mehlman has gone out of his way to tell the Black community that it should not be taken for granted by Democrats but should give Republicans a second look. He cites various Republican initiatives, such as school choice, the No Child Left Behind measure and President George W. Bush’s ownership society, as reasons for Black reconsideration. I am convinced that Mehlman is sincere in not only wanting to see Blacks vote for Republicans but to see Black Republican candidates elected...

Listen While You Freep! Five channels, five programs every day and each one playing for 24 hours and on weekends so tune in when it’s convenient for YOU! Call In Number - 866-884-TALK (8255) Heating the EDGE of a New Media! 1pm est- The Right Hour : Remember back to those thrilling days of yesteryear – the “hippy days.” Remember when everyone in Sociology 101 got an A, except you! You got a D because you were naïve. You didn’t realize that you were taking a course in Marxist studies. You weren’t 100 percent certain that the Vietnam War was...

McCain Holds the Cards Paul Weyrich Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006 It is always difficult to handicap the next presidential election before the midterm elections. So I will not go through the litany of the half-dozen Democrats, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who may contest for the nomination. The views range from "Hillary has got it in the bag" to "Hillary won't run." Democratic Party sentiment is said to range from "ready for another Clinton Era" to "fear of another Clinton Era"; from "the Party wants a familiar face" (Hillary) to "the Party seeks a totally new face" (former Governor Mark...

When you write about things political in Washington you pick up every rumor imaginable. Most of them are bogus, initiated by someone who has an axe to grind. I recall vividly being in the office of Senator James Danforth (“Dan”) Quayle (R-IN) within a few months of Republicans’ having taken control of the Senate for the first time since President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first term. Quayle was on the phone with his wife, Marilyn, who had picked up rumors of a huge sex scandal which supposedly was going to bring down the Republican Majority. Quayle was making light of the...

John Gizzi, veteran political editor of the conservative weekly Human Events, normally is an optimist. Over the years I have watched him find the one possible thread to explain the rationale for the election of a conservative Republican. John knows more about politics than any 10 political junkies combined have forgotten. If there is a way to see a possibility for a Republican victory Gizzi makes the case. And that is as it should be inasmuch as he is writing to give conservatives hope. He and his paper's message are always the same: "Shoulder on." You can imagine my shock...

A political piece in The New York Post caught my eye. It said that conservatives were warming up to Senator John S. McCain III, R-Ariz. If McCain, as expected, makes another run for the presidency, he would be the oldest man, if successful, to have been elected president. It seems that some conservatives are enamored with a new poll suggesting that McCain would defeat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., by a margin of 52 percent to 37 percent. Others point to McCain's consistent efforts to cut government spending. Still others point to McCain's support for the Right to Life. These...

U.S. right-wing strategist says Canadians are "so liberal and hedonistic" that Stephen Harper can't hope to change their philosophy of "cultural Marxism" right away. Given time, however, the Conservative prime minister-designate may straighten them out, Paul Weyrich writes. Weyrich, a Washington fixture since the 1970s, runs a conservative think tank called the Free Congress Foundation. His contribution to the Harper election effort was to distribute an e-mail last week urging fellow U.S. right-wingers not to talk to Canadian reporters. "Canadian voters have been led to believe that American conservatives are scary and if the Conservative party can be linked with...

Listen While You Freep! Five channels, five programs every day and each one playing for 24 hours and on weekends so tune in when it’s convenient for YOU! Call In Number - 866-884-TALK (8255) Heating the EDGE of a New Media! 1pm est- The Right Hour : Where are conservatives headed? That’s the question that three well-known conservatives—John Engler, Tony Perkins and Frank Gaffney—will each attempt to answer in 10-minute presentations on the direction of the movement after President Bush leaves office in 2009. Engler, a former governor of Michigan, has been president of the National Association of Manufacturers since...

Former Vice President Albert Gore Jr. pops up every now and then to remind us how blessed we are that we don't have to listen to that whiny voice every day of the week. His most recent major speech, delivered on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, properly decried the days when our government not only monitored King by electronic eavesdropping but even tried to induce him to commit suicide. No American can be proud of our government's actions at that time. Gore now has taken a flying leap to the present day, decrying President Bush's eavesdropping on calls between...

If The Washington Times crack investigative reporter Jerry Seper is correct there may be five members of Congress who seriously are under investigation by the Justice Department concerning their relationship with lobbyist and confessed felon Jack Abramoff. Two of the five, by the way, are Democrats and one of those is Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-NV). For all we know, there may be more. Some sources have told me that it surely is seven and other sources suggest the number may be as high as twenty. Regardless of the number, the vast majority of members of Congress, indeed...

Leading Conservatives Call for Extensive Hearings on NSA Surveillance; Checks on Invasive Federal Powers Essential 1/17/2006 6:36:00 PM To: National Desk Contact: Laura Brinker, 202-715-1540, for Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, laura.brinker@dittus.com WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances (PRCB) today called upon Congress to hold open, substantive oversight hearings examining the President's authorization of the National Security Agency (NSA) to violate domestic surveillance requirements outlined in the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, chairman of PRCB, was joined by fellow conservatives Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform...

While culture is more important than politics, and the next conservatism must include a new movement to restore our traditional culture, politics remains important, too. The political question is, what vehicle should the next conservatism choose in politics? Even a powerful new culturally conservative movement will need a relationship with a political party. Some conservatives will argue that we should create a new political party. I understand that sentiment. In many ways, the Republican Party has been a disappointment.