Free Republic

Richard Perry/The New York TimesKalustyan's, a market at 123 Lexington Avenue, is the only building still standing where a president was sworn in: Chester A. Arthur. Forlornly unidentified and altogether forgotten, these sites have been literally lost to history. ...on West 125th Street...nothing marks the place where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed in 1958. Then there is the spot on Fifth Avenue where Winston Churchill, crossing against the light, was struck by a car in 1931 and nearly killed. snip Andrew Carroll, 39, an amateur historian, is embarking this week on a 50-state journey to...

There's an old joke about a fantastic three-legged pig and a farmer. It comes in many versions. In some tellings, the pig saves the farmer's life. In another, it can talk. And the punch line always comes after a visitor asks the farmer, "So how come he only has three legs?" "Because," explains the farmer, "you don't want to eat a pig like that all at once." More and more, it seems that the Obama administration has just that attitude toward the economic crisis: doling out pork for as long as possible.

The entertainment world lost a few giants last week, and like the rest of the world, my wife, Gena, and I offer their families, friends and fans our most heartfelt condolences. America's most infamous late-night sidekick, Ed McMahon, favorite "angel," Farrah Fawcett, and the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, made their final exits, and even in death, they were as big as they were in life. The magnitude of their presence, power in their presentation and the caliber of their giftedness placed them among the most elite of stars. You might not agree with all that Michael, Farrah and Ed...

It isn't often that the justices of the US Supreme Court publicly rebuke a prospective colleague.... But that's essentially what the court did as it narrowly ruled in favor of white firefighters who argued they'd been the victims of reverse racial discrimination. .......reversing Sonia Sotomayor and the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.....Even those justices who didn't support the claim implicitly questioned why Sotomayor, et al., disposed of the case with a brief one-paragraph ruling instead of in a detailed opinion -- which would have opened her reasoning in the controversial case to a more thorough examination. None of this will...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Republican senators asked Monday for a congressional hearing to look at whether President Barack Obama acted appropriately when he fired the national service agency's inspector general earlier this month. Sens. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Orrin Hatch of Utah said they were concerned about "significant questions raised regarding the propriety of the decision to remove the IG." Obama fired Gerald Walpin, the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other programs that are part of the Corporation for National Community Service, saying he had lost confidence in him. The firing followed an investigation by Walpin finding misuse...

Handgun sales and purchases by New Jersey Retail Dealers are going to virtually end after November 2009. This is because the New Jersey legislature hurriedly passed the so-called “One Gun a Month” bill (A339), which was known to be seriously flawed. The defective bill is absurd, as it address a non-existent problem. No self-respecting gun trafficker would obtain their handguns by first applying for New Jersey Handguns Permits, paying over $50 in fees, and insuring that any handgun he sells on the street was papered to him! Notwithstanding just how idiotic the law is, it awaits the Governor Corzine’s signature...

I am a ten-year survivor of two kinds of cancer. I am alive because I had health insurance which permitted me to obtain excellent medical care. But if the Clinton "universal," government-mandated health care plan had been enacted in the 1990s, the odds are great that I would now be dead. If the Obama health care plan is enacted, no matter how prettied-up and carefully-worded it may be, then the nation will pay dearly and people like me will die prematurely.

The Caseyville Rifle and Pistol and Pistol Club has weathered the storm of efforts by St. Clair County to close it, and the costly effort is far from over. The Caseyville Rifle and Pistol Club has spent the past four years battling for its survival in a legal war of attrition with St. Clair County. So far the gun club -- the owner of the metro-east's only outdoor rifle range -- has won every round in court. The most recent victory occurred June 5, when a St. Clair County Circuit judge dismissed the county lawsuit aiming to shut down the...

"You have no notion of the intrigue that goes on in this blessed world of science," wrote Thomas Huxley. "Science is, I fear, no purer than any other region of human activity; though it should be." As "Darwin's bulldog," Huxley would himself engage in intrigue, deceit and intellectual property theft to make his master's theory gospel truth in Great Britain. He is quoted above for two reasons. First is House passage of a "cap-and-trade" climate-change bill. Depending on which scientists you believe, the dire consequences of global warming are inconvenient truths -- or a fearmongering scheme to siphon off the...

Uncle Sam has yet another program out to help distressed borrowers. This one bails out anyone with more federally-sponsored student loans than they can afford. Instead of repaying your student loans on a usual time- and interest-based schedule, the government is allowing people to pay based on income. It's an interesting idea, but I worry it could have some bad consequences.

Please send this out ... these Republicans have until July 2, 2009 to change their vote...please ask everyone to contact them: Republicans who voted for Cap-and-Trade (HR 2454) Mary Bono Mack R (CA) Palm Springs Office 707 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 9 Palm Springs, California 92262 Phone: (760) 320-1076 Mike Castle R (DW) 201 North Walnut Street, Suite 107 Wilmington, Delaware 19801-3970 Phone: (302) 428-1902 Mark Steven Kirk R (IL) 707 Stokie Boulevard, Suite 350 Northbrook, Illinois 60062 Phone: (847) 940-0202 Fax: (847) 940-7143 Leonard Lance R (NJ) 425 North Avenue East Westfield, New Jersey 07090 Phone: (908) 518-7733...

After paying lip service to the Iranian dissidents, Rice and Axelrod quickly cut to the chase. The Obama administration does not care about the Iranian people or their struggle with the theocratic totalitarians who repress them. Whether Iran is an Islamic revolutionary state dedicated to the overthrow of the world order or a liberal democracy dedicated to strengthening it, is none of the administration's business. Obama's emissaries wouldn't even admit that after stealing the election and killing hundreds of its own citizens, the regime is illegitimate. As Rice put it, "Legitimacy obviously is in the eyes of the people. And...

Since it is a constitutional requirement that the President be born in the United States, it's understandable that some people have been concerned about where Barack Obama was born. Furthermore, when you consider the fact that Barack Obama is a shameless liar, that he grew up in another country, and that there has been a lot of conflicting information out there, it's easy to see why so many people have become concerned about where he was born. All that being said: Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. Granted, not everyone on the Right agrees with this assessment, but nevertheless, it's...

If you really want to trample on free speech in America, you must start by enlisting the right sort of people — academics, liberal politicians, editorialists and "good government" groups like Common Cause — on your side. Then you'll be free to write a law that defies the First Amendment, and the courts will solemnly assure the public that what you did is fine. The McCain-Feingold act of 2002 is one such law, but there are plenty of others. If, on the other hand, you fail to attract the right sort of support for your crusade to undermine the Constitution,...

Victim was hit in the head with a handgun By KATIE LESLIE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday, June 29, 2009 Another Georgia Tech student was robbed at gunpoint early Monday, making him the 13th person to be mugged near campus since February. The robbery occurred at 1:15 a.m. in the Home Park neighborhood between the northern edge of Georgia Tech campus and Atlantic Station, according to Atlanta Police Department Spokesman Officer Otis Redmond. The student, whose name has not been released, told police he was approached by males in a dark SUV, with at least two of the robbers armed with...

Be Faithful with Little Today's Scripture "He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10, AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Many people today are not experiencing God’s favor like they should simply because they’re not passing what I call, the small test. We have to be faithful with the little things in our lives before God will entrust us with bigger things. For example, being excellent in the workplace for you...

ACORN, which played a starring role in creating the subprime mortgage crisis, plans to add insult to injury by harassing lenders across the nation with protests tomorrow in an effort to coerce them into supporting President Obama's Making Home Affordable foreclosure-avoidance program. Austin King, director of ACORN Financial Justice, sent out a press release today advising of the demonstrations that are planned as part of its "Homewrecker 4" campaign. The four financial companies targeted are Goldman Sachs, HomEq Servicing, American Home Mortgage, and OneWest. Read the whole document here. ACORN plans to hit Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, St. Louis, New York...

In January, I was asked to join Examiner. The process was more involved than any other online publisher had ever put me through. I like the features, the look of the banner and, well, there’s a lot to like about Examiner. There are three reasons I accepted. 1) Examiner is a mainstream press with millions of readers per month. 2) It is the only mainstream press at this time to have a full-time lineup of nationally known second amendment experts, and; 3) I write to non-gun owners almost exclusively. Six years ago, I decided that there were tons of second...

Do It Now! "Agree with your adversary quickly . . ." —Matthew 5:25 In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, "Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ ( Matthew 5:26  ) in pain, agony, and distress." God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a...

Users of social media, take everything with a grain of salt. Nearly the only power major media has left is reputation. Let them use it and confirm information you know and purge you of ignorance. The FTC is planning to regulate bloggers and right now I can understand why, as much as that hurts me.