Free Republic

Featured Term (selected at random):CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES Originally created by Popes Pius V and Gregory XIII as a commission of cardinals, it was formally re-established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV as the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. This name is still used, but the new title was given in 1967, when it was reconstituted by Pope Paul VI. Its scope of activity is the whole span of missionary work throughout the Church, and the care of the whole Christian life of the faithful and the ministry of the clergy in mission territories. All items...

Michael Jackson's kids, will Macaulay Culkin get custody? June 27, 2:02 PM When news of Michael Jackson’s death hit, there was immediate thoughts of his children. Since Michael was the only parent his three children had, what would happen to them now? Had Michael made arrangements or would there be a custody fight? With Debbie Rowe being the mother of the Michael Jr, and Paris and a surrogate bearing his youngest, Prince "Blanket" Michael II, would the children be split up? Normally, it would be Michael Jackson’s lawyer that steps up and states who Jackson’s named as his children’s guardians....

The Supreme Court’s ruling this morning on the New Haven firefighters’ lawsuit is a reminder of the vital role a sane majority on the high court plays in protecting the rights of citizens against the dictates of liberal ideology. The 5-4 ruling, which reverses a decision endorsed by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, validated the complaints of a group of firefighters who took and passed a promotion test but wound up being told that the exam was invalid because no minorities had done well enough on it. Though no one could credibly allege that the test was biased or that...

Analysts were appalled when Goldman Sachs (GS) paid a 10% coupon on a $5 billion investment made by Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A)(BRK-B) in September of last year. He also was given an option to buy more shares at below market prices. Buffett drove a similarly hard bargain to make a $3 billion investment in GE (GE).The panic about the financial system was so pervasive that these kinds of investments were available to intrepid souls like Buffett. Any major financial firm seeking to raise capital now would do much better. There is a pervasive impression that the credit markets...

In what way can Aristotle bring understanding to current political and economic affairs? To the extent that American consumers failed to refrain from indulging their passion to consume more than was consistent with their happiness, they lived outside the Aristotelian mean. Moderation is for Aristotle a virtue that helps to keep individuals from excess and self-indulgence, vices that result in misery. Individuals who act moderately Aristotle calls “magnificent” or “magnanimous.” Those who are incapable of acting in accordance with moderation Aristotle calls “vulgar.” If the existing ethos creates a cultural climate that is conducive to vulgarity, then individuals will be...

New atheist summer camp launched An atheist summer camp for children set up in Somerset is to offer a "godless alternative" to religious camps. The 24 places on Camp Quest UK, which will be held next month near Bath, have already been booked up. Organisers said the purpose of the camp was to encourage critical thinking and provide children with a summer camp "free of religious dogma". The camp, supported by scientist Richard Dawkins, plans to expand after receiving hundreds of inquiries. The event has been set up by Samantha Stein, a postgraduate psychology student from London. She said: "It...

Well there's a surprise.

Cap and trade DOA in the Senate.

The seemingly unassailable ideal of “equality of opportunity” demanded by the meritocratic regime has drawn scorn from thinkers such as those I have quoted in part because they have understood that in order for talent to triumph, it must be mobile. This, as we have seen, is precisely the aim of a meritocracy. It seeks to remove the barriers posed by tradition or culture — that is, barriers posed by institutions, texts, myths, habits, social forms, sensibilities, affections, characteristic practices, and the like — to the mobility of the intelligent. Thus, the more perfect the meritocracy, which we typically equate...

Today, Bernard Madoff will likely be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a federal penitentiary. But his sentencing is merely the beginning of the litigation and recrimination he has spawned with his vast investment fraud. The inevitable accusations — and perhaps criminal charges — against his co-conspirators, and particularly his family, are sure to continue. And another troubling aspect of the Madoff fraud has emerged in the past few weeks. It is now being alleged that certain charitable foundations and individuals on the whole reaped profits in the millions, if not billions of dollars, from Mr. Madoff’s...

Glenn Beck's Common Sense has hit the #1 spot on the USA Today Best-Selling list and will hit #1 on the July 5th New York Times Best Sellers list, making Beck one of just a few authors in history to hit #1 on the New York Times fiction, non-fiction and paperback original bestseller lists. Beck's Common Sense is joined on the NYT paperback non-fiction bestseller list by An Inconvenient Book at #4, giving him two books in the top 5. And Beck's not slowing down. His next book, the hardcover non-fiction Arguing With Idiots, will be published by Threshold Editions...

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Developing news surrounding embattled politician Jimmy Dimora. County Commissioner Dimora called an afternoon news conference to urge the feds to launch an investigation into the feds! Dimora maintains his innocence and says he will not resign. He claims he has done nothing different than other elected officials. When questioned about any wrongdoing, Dimora responded, "I'm no angel but I'm no crook." The leader of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party announced he was stepping down last week. Commissioner Dimora - a key player in a sweeping federal corruption probe - announced he's taking a leave of absence...

Even with all of the focus on health care and energy in the nation’s capitol - immigration reform is still on the minds of the leadership. Senate Democrats have now outlined plans to reform the nation’s immigration laws. It would include a requirement for U.S. workers to verify their identity through fingerprints or eye scan. New York Senator Charles Schumer says a system to verify work documents is needed because Congress has not cracked down on unscrupulous employers and illegal immigrants with fake documents. But missing from Schumer’s priorities is an expansion of a guest-worker program. Schumer believes legislation needs...

An ordinance will be brought before the Elkhart County Plan Commission Friday that looks to dim the lights and cut movement on electronic signs. The ordinance, proposed by county planners, would ban the construction of electronic message boards with flashing or strobing lights, lengthy animations or a bright output. It also limits electronic message boards from being placed in residential or agricultural zones unless they are approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals. "This is forward thinking," said Robert Nemeth, an Elkhart County planner who drafted the ordinance. "Sign prices are dropping and we would like to preserve an Elkhart...

After plugging his record company, Michael Jackson's father Joe said in a press conference outside his home Monday that the family was planning a large public funeral for the deceased singer. Joe Jackson says planning for a funeral will await a finding on what happened to his son, who died Thursday at age 50. The family has sanctioned a second autopsy to be conducted on the King of Pop's body, which they said is already underway. FULL COVERAGE: Get all of FOXNews.com's Michael Jackson stories, photos and video. "We aren't ready for [releasing information on the funeral]. We don't have...

"Ukrainian and Russian officials commemorated the 300th anniversary of the defeat of Sweden at the battle of Poltava with the unveiling of a new memorial on Saturday. The commemoration ceremonies showed that the victory, which marked the beginning of Russian imperial dominance of eastern Europe, continues to cause controversy over how history should be remembered. High-profile delegations, including Kremlin administration chief Sergei Naryshkin and top Ukrainian presidency officials, inaugurated a memorial to soldiers killed in the battle and placed garlands in front of local monuments. "After the battle of Poltava... no-one on the European continent could ignore Russia's political will,"...

... it is a potent indication of the difficulties afflicting the $75 billion taxpayer-financed program created by the Obama administration in an effort to avoid foreclosure for as many as four million distressed homeowners. Under the plan, the government offers mortgage companies $1,000 for each loan they agree to modify, then another $1,000 a year for up to three years. Hanging in the balance is more than the fate of individual homeowners. The administration portrays its mortgage program as a crucial piece of its broader effort to restore vigor to the economy. If the effort fails, foreclosures will continue to...

Well before Barack Obama brought hope to the White House, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was adamant that something new and different and wonderful had arrived. In 2006, the incoming Speaker pledged that hers would be the "most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history." At the time, we were skeptical -- to say the least. Our refusal to accept her rhetoric was roundly vindicated last week. That was when Madam-Speaker used every dirty trick at her disposal to coldly ram a 1,500 page global warming bill through the House of Representatives. The Speaker chose to stifle the usual observances...

Future perfect Can a clothing-optional policy teach her young girls to be comfortable as women? By Jennifer Mattern June 28, 2009 I ain’t what I used to be. But my daughters don’t know that. They can’t imagine me any other way -- this soft, paunchy creature they have come to refer to as “Mom.” I tell them to take a good look, that someday they are likely to look much like I do now. They laugh. Preposterous! I grew up in a household where everyone’s jiggly bits were kept under wraps. Only once, when I was very young, do I...