Free Republic

Dozens of workers belly up to the bar at gin mills on Murray Street -- two blocks from the sacred soil of Ground Zero and America's most scrutinized construction project -- shortly before noon every day. One group of three workers threw back eight drinks each in less than an hour before returning to the job. Reporters watched hard hats for a week as they walked from the pit for their hourlong meal break, typically at about 11:45 a.m. Many headed north on West Broadway to Murray Street, which is lined with bars and pubs. On Friday, June 19, three...

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed global warming bill (219-212 vote) is being hailed by many as “historic” or “landmark” or “The Bill of the Century.” But the passage of this bill does not signify any great “green revolution” or “growing” climate “awareness” on the part of Congress. Instead, the methods and manner that the Pelosi led House achieved final passage, represents nothing more than unrestrained exercise of raw political power, arm-twisting, intimidation and special interest handouts. (See: Pay offs: 'Florida Democrat won $50 million pledge of support for proposed hurricane research facility in his district') The House of...

Iran arrested nine local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran Saturday, drawing a terse response from the U.K. government and signaling an escalation of tensions between two countries with a history of difficult relations. AFP/Getty Images Iranian riot policemen stood guard outside the British embassy in Tehran on June 15, 2009. Iranian media reported the arrests on Sunday, saying the employees had been detained for allegedly playing a role in post-election demonstrations in Tehran. Speaking Sunday during a visit to Greece, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said some of the nine who were arrested have been released, though he...

MORE than 2000 people are still in detention and hundreds more are missing in Iran since a government crackdown on protests over a disputed presidential election, the FIDH human rights group says. "According to the latest information we have, more than 2000 people have been arrested and are currently in detention,'' Karim Lahidji, vice president of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), said. "Hundreds of people are missing, according to independent information that has came to us from Tehran since yesterday,'' he said at a protest meeting in Paris held to denounce the crackdown in Iran. Lahidji, who...

White House senior adviser David Axelrod said the president won't rule out a health care reform bill that includes a middle-class tax hike. "The president had said in the past that he doesn't believe taxing health care benefits at any level is necessarily the best way to go here. He still believes that," Axelrod told me on This Week, "But there are a number of formulations and we'll wait and see. The important thing at this point is to keep the process moving, to keep people at the table, to the keep the discussions going. We've gotten a long way...

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A Colorado meat company is expanding a recall of beef due to possible contamination by E.coli O157:H7 bacteria after an investigation found 18 illnesses may be linked to the meat, the company and the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Sunday. Greeley, Colorado-based JBS-Swift Beef Co is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include about 380,000 lbs of assorted beef products, for a total recall of about 421,000 lbs, USDA and the company said. The affected beef was produced on April 21 and was distributed nationally and internationally. "The contamination may have come from further processing by...

This interview was a disaster, this guy is the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, even David Gregory was a little stumped today...

What has the world come to? A report has come across the newswire telling of misery among the lobstermen of New England. They have too many lobsters, and no one wants to buy them. Remember when lobster was one of the most expensive foods you could buy? Now it's so cheap that fishermen are hawking lobsters on the street for a few bucks.

There seems to be a need in American society to have to relearn the same hard lessons over and over again, regardless of whether the results were seen on the other side of the planet or suffered through by our own people. We're living in a country that elected a President that believes in redistributing wealth. He's mentioned this himself, from the "Joe the Plumber" incident[i] to his critique[ii] of the failures of the civil rights movement. Whether you call it Socialism, Communism, Marxism, or by its simpler name, theft, they are all part of the same economic system that...

The upcoming social encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI "Caritas in veritate" - Charity in truth - will bear the date of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29, but will likely become public on July 6 or 7, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera said on Saturday. An article by Gian Guido Vecchi quotes what he claims are several original paragraphs of the Pope’s third encyclical. "Without truth, without trust and love for what is truthful, there is no conscience or social responsibility, and the social action falls under the control of private interests or logics of power,...

The Democrats have a new buzzword: “silly.” The next goal of the Democrats, according a recent Senate campaign fundraising letter, is to “end silly debates about whether tax cuts for the rich trickle down or global warming exists.” Silly debates? So if the Democrats get more Senate seats, there will be no more discussion about tax cuts or global warming. All manner of subjects will be closed. Because to disagree with a Democrat is just plain silly. Well, that certainly clarifies what Obama meant by “post-partisan,” now, doesn’t it? Thus is it demonstrated that the words “liberal” and “liberty” no...

Tampa police say Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50. Authorities say Mays was pronounced dead this morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson aren’t the only ones who died on Friday. As the Americans were overwrought with grief over the passing of these two celebrities, the Democrat-controlled House, with Lord Obama’s blessing, passed the C(r)ap and Trade bill, a bill which will no doubt kill the American economy, kill American industry, and kill American liberty. I’m currently drafting a post with my thoughts on this disastrous bill. In the meantime, do yourself the favor of taking in the wise words of El Rushbo. Just hours within the passing of this abomination of a bill, Rush cites the words...

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY Billy Mays, best known for his high-energy infomercials, has died at the age of 50. Police have confirmed that he died Sunday morning. He was found at home by his wife at 7:45 a.m. Police said there was no sign of a break-in, and they do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon. Mays became famous for his amped-up infomercials and spots on the Home Shopping Network. His ads featured him shouting about the virtues of products like OxiClean and Orange Glo while demonstrating their efficacy. Most recently, he...

URGENT -- Venezuela's Chavez says he will act militarily if the country's ambassador to Honduras is attacked or kidnapped during coup. BULLETIN -- VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT CHAVEZ WARNS OF MILITARY ACTION AGAINST HONDURAS. Venezuelan president Chavez says he will do "everything necessary" to abort the military coup in Honduras.

'I'm better off dead. I'm done': Michael Jackson's fateful prediction just a week before his death By IAN HALPERIN 28th June 2009 Genetic condition had ruined his lungs and left him unable to sing He became so skeletal, doctors believed he was anorexic He had nightmares about being murdered – and wanted to die He used swine flu as an excuse to avoid coming to England He thought he was agreeing to 10 concerts – it was 50 Whatever the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Had he not been driven – by a cabal...

Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) discussed Obama's health care plan and what the GOP can do to stop it. On Judge Sotomayor, McConnell said the Senate needs time to work through new documents obtained about her. On Gov. Sanford, McConnell refused to comment on the situation. McConnell was adamant about saying he has the business of the Senate to worry about.

A recent poll indicates that Americans are not as supportive of homosexual "marriage" as they once were.A CBS-New York Times survey shows that support for redefining marriage to include same-gender couples has declined. Jenny Tyree of Focus on the Family Action tells OneNewsNow that, according to The New York Times, the figure dropped slightly -- but she believes nine percentage points is more than slightly. "I think that this really digs into what Americans really feel about marriage -- that they like that [marriage is] defined between a man and a woman," she contends. "And also it's a bit of a backlash against the five states...

An Iraqi Soldier distributes the contents of a food bag to residents of the "1st of June" area of Abu Ghraib, during a joint Coalition/Iraqi foot patrol, June 25. Photo by Sgt. Philip Schratwieser, 1st Infantry Division. BAGHDAD — U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers conducted a combined patrol through Abu Ghraib to deliver supplies, disrupt insurgents and foster relationships, June 25. The area they patrolled is called the "1st of June," as Iraqis often name areas after significant dates in their history.Leading the patrol was a platoon from the 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division. As a result of the agreement...

TAMPA, Fla. – Billy Mays, the burly, bearded television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50. Tampa police said Mays was found unresponsive by his wife Sunday morning. A fire rescue crew pronounced him dead at 7:45 a.m. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon. "Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days," said Mays' wife, Deborah. "Our...