Free Republic

Teachers unions have historically been formed to protect the rights of faculty members through collective bargaining. So, why would the California Faculty Association, a union from the largest state university system in the country go out of its way to issue an resolution that is decidedly anti-Israel? Additionally, why is a teachers union even spending time discussing, debating and passing a resolution about Israel and the Palestinians? Let’s drill down into the union for more information. The CFA (the California Faculty Association) claims to be a union which exists to support the teachers California’s colleges and universities. From their own...

- Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed? - Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"? - Why is "abbreviated" such a long word? - Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"? - Why is it that to stop Windows 98, you have to click on "Start"? - Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons? - Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? - Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?...

This perhaps has been asked on Free Republic previously and if so, I apologize. But to the extent we are populated with any converted liberals, briefly explain what brought you over to the conservative side. I have heard 9/11, parenthood, maturity, marriage etc. as reasons, but as a "cradle conservative," I have to ask on behalf of my continuing efforts to convince liberals (and moderates) that their ideology is fuzzy-headed at best and terribly harmful to the future of the United States.

Everyone knows that the unemployment situation is very bad, but the official figures (not surprisingly) understate the problem. In this article I'll outline the severity of the stalled labor market, and explain some of the major causes. The Employment Outlook According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the official civilian unemployment rate in February was 8.9 percent. However, this figure (called U-3) is very misleading in the present environment, because so many potential workers have become discouraged and are no longer seeking work. Just as a retired person, or a stay-at-home parent, isn't normally classified as "unemployed," so too...

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2011 – A commission created to improve diversity among military leaders has issued 20 recommendations its members say will make the military better reflect the composition of the United States in its ranks. The Military Leadership Diversity Commission, created as part of the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, issued the findings yesterday of its 18-month research with recommendations for how the Defense Department can improve the promotion of women and minorities at a time when the nation is expected to become increasingly diverse. “The armed forces have not yet succeeded in developing a continuing stream of leaders...

The major heresy of Mormonism is summed up in its central theological axiom, the doctrine of The Law of Eternal Progression. It is as follows: “As Man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become.” Basically, it says that the god of Mormonism was once a man who was born to human parents on another planet, grew to manhood, lived out his life being obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel presented by the god of that world. Upon his death and resurrection, he was judged (by his god) as being worthy for godhood. The...

Chris Matthews had an immediate reaction to President Obama’s statement on the ongoing unrest in Libya and it was not positive. Even liberal commentators Howard Fineman and David Corn agreed that Obama’s statement was weak, and since Libya is no Egypt, Obama will have to talk tougher in the future. Matthews’ surprising review of Obama’s speech: “This statement could have been put out by the first President Bush. It has the aspect of an Arabist statement. I shouldn’t be too strong here, but it doesn’t have any dignity. I mean – Ronald Reagan – to his credit, said ‘evil empire’...

What Christmas Makes Me Think Of Posted on December 24, 2010 by fanningtheflamesagain The Christmas story is truly the greatest story ever told. Yet, as glorious and exhilarating the account of the Savior’s birth is, it leaves me with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Every time I hear the recount of Christ’s appearance my guts are tied in knots. Only one word causes all this discomfort I feel, and this one word does not even show up in the retelling of Jesus’ birth. The word is, “Why?” Why would God have to come to this world...

The spawn of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is doing herself, her father and the GOP no favors. On ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, the 26-year-old Meghan McCain (R-or-D, of absolutely nothing) tore into Delaware's GOP Senate nominee, Christine O'Donnell, sharing with a national television audience that "in my group of friends, it turns people off because she's seen as a nut-job." In truth, many Republicans share that view, which should not come as a surprise to anyone. But why is it that we are listening to a 26-year-old with no political or professional accomplishments of her own? Her book

This comes on the heals of an earlier deal where the Export-Import Bank of the US is going to loan $2 billion to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras. This behavior underscores why Presidential approval ratings are down. Reforms from health care to banking are hurting private businesses. The fact that Obama was openly hostile to domestic energy production as a candidate and the overbearing drilling moratorium has demonstrated to many Americans that he doesn't have their best interest in mind......

A robot deceives an enemy soldier by creating a false trail and hiding so that it will not be caught. While this sounds like a scene from one of the Terminator movies, it's actually the scenario of an experiment conducted by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology as part of what is believed to be the first detailed examination of robot deception. "We have developed algorithms that allow a robot to determine whether it should deceive a human or other intelligent machine and we have designed techniques that help the robot select the best deceptive strategy to reduce its...

Can anyone tell me why suddenly race is the hot topic of national discourse? According to Gallup polling of last week, the issues most on the minds of Americans are the economy and jobs followed by dissatisfaction with all aspects of government. I didn’t notice racism on the list anywhere. The NAACP says it was “snookered” by Fox News on the Shirley Sherrod story. I say we’ve all been snookered by the NAACP. The NAACP has shown that those who have written this organization off as irrelevant are wrong. It demonstrated this past week that if it so chooses it...

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes … a Gosselin-esque bit of child exploitation? Granted, it’s TMZ that’s reporting it, but this isn’t the only data out there pointing towards a show of some kind. Ricky Hollywood’s lawyer was conspicuously noncommittal when asked about it by the NYT, saying ominously, “I can’t talk about that until the end of the week.” What could go wrong? Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin are already looking to bring outsiders into their upcoming marriage — in the form of a reality TV crew … this according to a source very familiar with the...

The young interracial couple moved into the garden apartments near my house, and, before long, neighbors were complaining about the noisy stereo blasting, the wild pot parties, and the gangster-type visitors to the complex. Women expressed concern for the couple's young infant being exposed to the pot smoke and pondered calling Social Services to report them. Others warned against this, afraid of retribution by the couple's scary looking friends who were overheard planning a robbery with a handgun. Homeowners worried about their property values further declining and blamed the landlord of the complex for accepting Section 8 renters. The landlord...

President Obama says he knows why polls show Israelis overwhelmingly consider him pro-Palestinian, while less than 10 percent believe he supports the Jewish state. "Some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that created suspicion," he told Israeli TV. Of course, there might be other reasons why Israelis and their supporters view Obama with suspicion. Such as: * His public humiliation last March of Bejamin Netanyahu at the White House, when Obama walked out of their talks to go have dinner with his family, leaving Israel's prime minister alone for over an hour,...

Elton John and Rush Limbaugh may seem like an unlikely pair to be found at the same event, but perhaps a wedding is as good a place as any to put politics aside.

Statism: Like that of termites, the full damage from suit-and-tie radicals manifests years after their "reforms." Only now, for example, are we seeing the devastation caused by the last Oval Office infestation. Like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton also campaigned as a moderate. Once elected, however, he surrounded himself with some of the most radical leftists ever appointed to the Cabinet. (Many of them have re-enlisted with this administration.) Behind the scenes, they worked furiously to undermine the system. And now, decades later, we're seeing the results. Clinton's policies — not just his unethical conduct — were recipes for disaster.

Democrat Jerry Brown, at 71 years old, is offering himself to California voters as the pragmatic, moderate and mature gubernatorial candidate with the experience to bring the state back from the brink of disaster. But with four decades in public service and a reputation as a political chameleon, the attorney general must try to shake the one word that critics have aimed at him for the past 35 years: "Moonbeam." Moments after Brown, who was governor from 1975 to 1983, delivered a three-minute video Tuesday announcing his candidacy, his GOP opponents began reviving memories of the nickname as shorthand for...

The U.S. Agency for International Development is sending disaster response teams to Haiti to help the impoverished nation after it was hit by a major earthquake on Tuesday. USAID said in a statement it would be sending teams including up to 72 people, six search and rescue dogs and up to 48 tons of rescue equipment. The teams will be accompanied by USAID disaster experts...

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