Free Republic

(WASHINGTON) - Joe Biden spoke to the National Jewish Democratic Council tonight, making the focus of his speech a call for Americans to imagine a country different than it’s been under eight years of President Bush. He asked the crowd to imagine a country that believes in science, a president will put Supreme Court justices on the bench that respect civil and women’s right, and a United States that once again “is respected around the world.” Biden started his speech with an old Jewish joke that was warmly received, saying the Yeshiva crew team realized Harvard’s secret to winning was...

Census: State not luring many newcomers By John Flesher Associated Press writer Kevin Breen gets the occasional you-gotta-be-kidding stare when telling people he moved from the Boston area to southeastern Michigan - voluntarily. "They ask if I had to, and I say no, it was a choice," the 41-year-old said Monday. "We could have gone elsewhere." Breen arrived in July, becoming a school administrator in Grosse Pointe Woods near Detroit. He took up residence in neighboring Grosse Pointe Park with his wife and two children, ages 9 and 6. Attracting productive, well-educated families like the Breens from other states is...

Opponents of offshore oil-drilling have just suffered a major defeat in Congress. Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to expire.

In my view, the actions of Paulson and Berneke could be self-fulfilling prophets of the crisis of confidence they claim to be trying to head off. They are creating a psychology that if their high-handed action is not taken, things cannot possibly get better. Whether or not that belief is true, if enough investors and those who need capital accept that idea, then their behavior - how that belief will make them change their financial behavior - will make the crisis that Paulson is predicting come true - not because it has to; not because there are no valid alternatives...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A federal grand jury ended its session Tuesday without indicting a Democratic state lawmaker’s son in an investigation of someone hacking Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s personal e-mail. That doesn’t mean the investigation is over.

"The new ESEA must finally address the deep and tenacious educational debt that holds our nation's future in hock and insure that every child has access to adequate school resources, facilities and quality teachers."

How is it going to affect us in our every day lives? Your thoughts?

Capt. Bruno de Solenni, R.I.P. [Kathryn Jean Lopez] A brother of a friend of mine (Pia) was killed by an IED in Afghanistan this weekend, along with two Afghan interpreters. A fellow soldier was injured. I was just reading a letter Bruno's hometown paper published before he died; what he has to say and who he was and what he sacrificed and the grief his family suffers are reminders of the tremendous burden so few of us bear for freedom: The bad days are when you put your buddy in a body bag and you don't even recognize him because...

One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain's campaign manager from the end of 2005 through last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. The disclosure contradicts a statement Sunday night by Mr. McCain that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had no involvement with the company for the last several years. Mr. Davis's firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big...

It's getting quite embarrassing. I'll be flicking through the "dirty" channels, hoping for a glimpse of what I desire when ... Stacey bursts in and I have to fast-flick back to "Takeshi's Castle" on Challenge. It's too late though -- she knows what I'm up to. "Have you been watching Fox News?" she'll scream accusingly. I pretend to not know what she's talking about, but this lady is not for turning. "I don't know what you find so interesting about Sarah Palin but it's got to stop -- she's a monster." I try to bury myself deep into the comforting...

The original ad can be found here: BornAliveTruth.org Ad attacking Obama on his voting record against the Born Alive Protection Act [Via YouTube.com website] Here is the Response by Senator Barrack Obama: Response by Barrack Obama to BornAliveTruth.org ad There are a number of other threads on this. But I personally feel that there should be focus on the fact that Senator Obama is attacking a woman with Cerebal Palsy in his response ad. Why is this important? Because Gianna is an abortion survivor. She survived a Saline Abortion. She has Cerebal Palsy as a result of that Saline Abortion....

Ken Timmerman RSS ARCHIVE Print Page | Forward Page | E-mail Us Obama’s Harvard Years: Questions Swirl Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:11 PM By: Kenneth R. Timmerman Article Font Size How exactly did Barack Obama pay for his Harvard Law School education? The way the Obama campaign has answered the question was simply hard work and student loans. But new questions have been raised about Obama’s student loans and Obama’s ties to a radical Muslim activist who reportedly was raising money for Obama’s Harvard studies during the years 1988 to 1991. http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/obama_harvard_/2008/09/23/133199.html

For many years the President and his Administration have not only warned of the systemic consequences of financial turmoil at a housing government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) but also put forward thoughtful plans to reduce the risk that either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac would encounter such difficulties. President Bush publicly called for GSE reform 17 times in 2008 alone before Congress acted. Unfortunately, these warnings went unheeded, as the President's repeated attempts to reform the supervision of these entities were thwarted by the legislative maneuvering of those who emphatically denied there were problems. 2001 April: The Administration's FY02 budget declares that...

"The collapse of emerging market economies will shake investors to the core. The great unwind has only just begun," said Albert Edwards, the bank's global strategist. "The big surprise in store is what could happen in China. The potential for a deep recession in the US is already on the radar screen, but people will be stunned if China's economy contracts, as I believe it will. Investors could be massively caught out," he said. "The consensus has a touching belief that emerging markets will prove resilient despite a deep downturn in developed economies. My view is that an outright contraction...

Barack Obama tells running mate Joe Biden to keep quiet BY MICHAEL McAULIFF DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU Tuesday, September 23rd 2008, 9:44 PM Barack Obama wants Joe Biden (below) to show a little more restraint. Carlson/AP Barack Obama wants Joe Biden (below) to show a little more restraint. Helber/AP WASHINGTON - Barack Obama slapped his loose-lipped running mate Tuesday, chastising Joe Biden for speaking too fast and contradicting him on one of the massive financial bailouts. Biden, a Delaware senator, declared last week the federal government should not have floated the American International Group an $85 billion lifeline. Obama said...

CNN -Ahmadinejad blamed "a few bullying powers" for creating the world's problems and said the "American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road." Then he jumped in a cab and met Larry King for a Starbucks latte. Why was Larry King talking to Ahmadinejad?

Kill the bailout: Phones ringing off the hook; student loans, car debt added to proposal By Michelle Malkin • September 23, 2008 10:27 PM We don’t have to have this trillion-dollar bailout shoved down our throats. You can make a difference. Phones are ringing off the hook. Peter Viles at L.A.Land: A key quote in this morning’s Senate hearing about the Paulson bailout is worth repeating. This comes from Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat: “Like my colleagues, my phones have been ringing off the hook. The sentiment from Ohioans about this proposal is universally negative.” Not “overwhelmingly negative.”...

European banking on borrowed time By Daniel Gros and Stefano Micossi Published: September 23 2008 19:49 | Last updated: September 23 2008 19:49 The US financial system is being nationalised. The piecemeal approach followed so far had clearly not been working. Hence the US political system is working overtime to reach a bipartisan agreement on a systemic solution. The centrepiece is already known: the US government is going to buy $700bn (€480bn, £380bn) of the so-called “toxic” assets. More measures are certain to follow as the banks will require recapitalisation to the extent that they make losses. As a result,...

Actor Sir Ian McKellen has revealed he is to tour Britain's schools preaching about gay tolerance. The openly gay star, who is best known to youngsters as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings blockbusters, wants to encourage other homosexual men to go back to their former schools and lecture pupils on homophobia. Revealing his campaign in gay magazine Attitude, Sir Ian said: 'I’ve been busy at quite a few schools recently. I went to a wonderful co-ed faith school in Harpenden. 'They were Christians and absolutely determined that their pupils did not discriminate. They invited me to come and...

A few weeks back, I wrote: "...Some things are about to take place in this campaign that I'll keep to myself for now. In short, it's about to catch fire. I'll let you know if - when - these things happen..."