Free Republic

When it comes to guns, the shepherd of this Kentucky flock is not sheepish—not in the least. In a story about the armed and verbose pastor, Ken Pagano, (“Pastor Invites His Flock To Bring Guns to Church”), New York Times reporter Katharine Q. Seelye quotes the 49 year old machine gun packing pastor, “ God and guns were a part of the foundation of this country”, he says. So was slavery and the oppression, slaughter and relocation of Native Americans. Some foundations have faults. Guns are not great. Guns are not evil. Guns are guns. I don’t like them because...

Question: Which is the more authentic black guy? Barack Hussein Obama.................or................Michael Jackson?

Why St. Pete Pride grows Published : Friday, 26 Jun 2009, 7:22 PM EDT Steve Nichols ST. PETERSBURG - Saturday's St. Petersburg Pride Parade is expected to attract its highest attendance ever, making it the largest Pride event in the southeastern United States this year. Last year, an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people descended on Central Avenue, and organizers expect to top 80,000 this year. The exponential growth has already made the event the largest Pride celebration in Florida, and has come about because of a number of factors. Chief among them is that a drought in Georgia that could...

The American people deserve to know what’s in the legislation their representatives in Congress are voting on.

WASHINGTON, June 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from American Life League president Judie Brown regarding Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley's announcement that archdiocese-affiliated Caritas Christi Healthcare has withdrawn ownership of CeltiCare Health Plan. The announcement comes only two days after A.L.L. announced it would launch an investigation into the scandal. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081105/DC44231LOGO ) "Praise God! After months of tireless effort from American Life League and pro-life heroes in Boston and around the country to expose a potential scandal only days away from becoming a tragic betrayal of Catholicism's unwavering commitment to the dignity of the human person, Cardinal...

Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson; Colossus, Cray, ASCI Red and Blue Gene. The names of boxing's heavyweights are never forgotten - and it's the same with the champs of the supercomputing world. These machines truly are like no others. Each is computationally more muscular than its predecessor; and for a while, each has claimed the title of the fastest computer in the world. But, as the calamitous fall of 'Iron' Mike Tyson showed us, champions are built to be felled. And so we've seem supercomputers come and go, growing from single processor machines capable of a...

Doctors take a Hippocratic oath, the most well-known portion being to do no harm to their patients. It’s time Congress applies this maxim to their health care proposals and to the plethora of wasteful social engineering programs they’re rushing to enact. We’re told 49 million Americans have no health care. What we’re not told is that of those 49 million, at least 12 million are illegal aliens. Another 12 million are people who already qualify for some form of government-subsidized health insurance. And another 12 million are people who could otherwise easily afford to buy their own health insurance, but...

The man attacked by a shark on the New South Wales South Coast on Saturday morning says the experience will not stop him surfing, though it might take a while before he ventures back into the water. Les Wade was surfing at Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa just before 9:00am (AEST) when he felt something push him from behind. He says he thought it was another surfer but then he turned and spotted a shark. "I didn't realise what had happened," he said. "I paddled back out and said, 'I think there's a shark and I think it's just bit...

Follow these tips and your pooch may just be everyone’s favorite at work: Want your pooch to be the most popular pet in your office? Before you and Fido clock in on Friday for the nationwide Take Your Dog to Work Day, make sure you avoid the dreaded doggie don'ts, care of the Humane Society’s Jennifer Fearing, author of the book "Dogs at Work" and mom to 8-year-old Yoda, who commutes with her every day. Don't … Bring a stinky dog to work. You and your dog should both dress for success! "Hygiene needs to be a top priority for...

An atheist group is running ads on two dozen New York City buses to raise "atheist pride'' among nonbelievers. The 12-foot-long ads have a blue background and three-foot-high white letters that proclaim "You don't have to believe in god to be a moral or ethical person." Members of the New York City Atheists will hold a Saturday press conference to discuss the ads at Manhattan's Columbus Circle. Spokeswoman Jane Everhart says American society is increasingly accepting of atheists and says President Obama even mentioned "nonbelievers'' in his inaugural speech. The ad campaign wants to reassure secretive nonbelievers that "it's OK...

Dear FRiends, I have been reading so much about the correction in real estate prices that seems to be going on. General consensus is that people bought more than they could afford because of easy credit. Now, unemployment is rising and the value of homes is dropping, resulting in many people being "upside-down" on their mortgages, then losing their houses to foreclosure when they lose their jobs or adjustable interest rates increase. This is creating a surplus of housing, driving prices lower. All this makes sense. But what I have yet to see discussed is where these people are going...

This is one of those times when being called a big loser is a compliment. Even celebrities can be a little gross sometimes. The NBC show "Biggest Loser" has chosen San Jose for a casting call. Hundreds of people are expected to turn out for the try out Saturday at a 24 Hour Fitness in San Jose. Casting reps are looking for teams this time. So if you and a member of your family need to lose at least 100 pounds, you could be in the running to become TV-famous and win $250,000. Teams can be parent/child, siblings, married couple,...

BEIRUT (AFP) – Saad Hariri, son of slain billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, pledged to form a cabinet that would unite rival political camps after he was named Lebanon's new prime minister on Saturday. "We will begin consultations with all parliamentary blocs based on our commitment to a national unity government in which all main blocs are represented and which is harmonious, functional, and free of obstruction and paralysis," Hariri said. Under the current unity government, headed by Fuad Siniora, militant group Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over major decisions. The government was formed in May 2008, ending a...

Quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG SATURDAY, JUNE 27TH, 2009 AT 3:40 PM Your Turn: Join the National Online Discussion on Health Care Reform Posted by Macon Phillips The weather isn't the only thing heating up in DC this summer. Health care reform is already a hot topic, and as legislation moves through Congress, Americans across the nation have questions about how costs will be brought under control to make quality affordable health care accessible to everyone. That's why the White House is taking another step to connect with people outside of Washington and answer some of the most...

Is murder becoming a divorce substitute? It seems that men murdering their spouses has become more rampant or is it just more sensationalized and followed blow by blow on news magazine shows and Larry King Live because it is so bizarre? God forbid that men murdering their partner become so commonplace it isn't news anymore. The public is shocked beyond belief but yet find the heinous acts titillating Till "Death do us Part" seems to have taken on a new meaning. One of the most notorious cases in recent history that riveted the country was the televised court proceedings of...

The death of a pop culture icon is always an event; and Michael Jackson’s fame equaled that of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. He was world-famous and beloved for most of his career. And now, like them, he has left this earth prematurely. His death has given his name a new life; once again Michael Jackson is selling newspapers and record numbers of albums — and making TV history. CNN’s ratings shot up a whopping 973% on Thursday — MSNBC by 330% and Fox by 243%. Interest in his death brought the Internet to its knees. Crowds have gathered from London...

Thanks to the latest essay by John Mauldin, a great deal of the economic future facing America is brought into focus. The Democrats in Congress face an economic catastrophe in 2010. Forget about the stimulus package being aimed at "stimulating" in 2010. Economic numbers will be grim. And there's nothing that the Congress can do about it. Last week I detailed how air, trucking, and rail shipping is down 20% year-over-year. Global trade is down about 30% in the major exporting countries ... Last month saw the number of unemployed rise by 345,000. What was not in the headline data...

"CAIRO – A Bahraini royal mourned him publicly, young Lebanese held a candlelight tribute, Egyptian musicians hailed him as an inspiration." "Beyond his global reach, Michael Jackson held a special place in the Muslim world, as one of the first major Western entertainers to break through cultural barriers in the 1980s." ""Religion is a big part of identity in this part of the world, and the idea he became Muslim boosted his popularity," said Egyptian cultural critic Tarek el-Shinnawi."

Firearm enthusiasts are a hands-on bunch; always expanding areas of interest and always in search of firearms knowledge. Shooting and firearms are more fun when it's possible to modify and tailor the function of a firearm to suit personal preferences. Handloading offers more of the same, which is probably why so many people who work on their own firearms also handload their own ammunition. Handloading can yield improvements in accuracy that rival the results of firearm blueprinting. Handloading can be a money saver and, for those with a commercial inclination, handloading can be a money maker. Handloads can also be...

Earlier this week I noted that I had changed my mind on the Community Reinvestment Act. Contrary to my initial conclusion, the evidence is overwhelming that the CRA played a significant role in creating lax lending standards that fueled the housing bubble. Once I realized this, I had to abandon my suspicion that the anti-CRA case was a figment of the rhetoric of Republicans attempting to distract attention from their own role in the mortgage mess. So I laid out the facts and arguments that had convinced me to switch sides in the CRA debate. It was a long series...