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A man who gave himself a DIY circumcision using nail clippers was taken to hospital for emergency treatment. Published: 9:00AM BST 30 Jun 2009 Nail clippers: 'This is something we would advise men never to attempt,' a medic said The young man had to be rushed to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The wound was disinfected to cleanse it before he was given a bed in an observation ward. "This is something we would advise men never to attempt," a medic said, "The results can be quite horrific and long-lasting and have quite an affect on a man's sexual...

Welcome to Shreveport: Your rights are now suspended. According to Cedric Glover, mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, his cops "have a power that [. . .] the President of these Unites States does not have": His cops can take away your rights. And would you like to guess which rights he has in mind? Just ask Shreveport resident Robert Baillio, who got pulled over for having two pro-gun bumper stickers on the back of his truck -- and had his gun confiscated. While the officer who pulled him over says Baillio failed to use his turn signal, the only questions he...

Freud said we’re forever changed by the traumas of our youth, and so it is with the Democrats and Clintoncare. Even as you watch the leading Democrats today in their moment of glory, you can still see wounds caused by the defeat of the Clinton health care initiative. You see the psychic reactions and the scars and the lessons they have taken away so that sort of debacle never happens again.

Crushing government deficits loom, unless the Obama administration reins in its propensity to spend. That was the cautionary statement from the Congressional Budget Office in its latest long-term budget forecast, reported recently in The Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics blog. Government deficits will increase substantially, according to the CBO report, hitting more than 5.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2035, 8 percent in 2050, and a whopping 19 percent in 2084. As a consequence of these potentially crippling deficits, the government would have to borrow more money and wages would be depressed. The obvious solution: The administration must...

#1 on the NYT Bestseller List for 11 of the last 12 weeks!Buy it… read it… live it!“Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811

Sometimes a Survival Mom has to look around to see who might need some extra help in an emergency. Young children, invalids, and the elderly are especially vulnerable during tumultuous times. In 1995, I was in Chicago during one of their biggest and deadliest heat waves ever. Of the 600+ people who died, most were elderly. I remember thinking, "Why didn't their families or neighbors check on them and help?" Who in your life is elderly and/or sickly and might need some help during an emergency? A game plan needs to be put in order right away to provide a...

The New Republic splits from the Obama administration and scolds Barack Obama over his response to the removal of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. Francisco Toro accuses Obama of “fetishizing” the presidency and ignoring the facts on the ground. The military may have conducted a coup, but it did so at the unanimous behest of the legislature and the Honduran Supreme Court — and for good reason (h/t HA reader Desmond L):

Indiana is one of five states -- along with Arizona, California, Mississippi and Pennsylvania -- bracing for possible shutdowns this week as time runs out for lawmakers to close billion-dollar gaps in their fiscal 2010 budgets. Of the 46 states whose fiscal year ends today, 32 did not have budgets passed and approved by their governors as of Monday afternoon, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Although the majority of those are expected to pass eleventh-hour budgets, the fiscal futures of a handful remain uncertain, said Todd Haggerty, an NCSL research analyst.

Instead of rejoicing over the outcome of the Ricci case, the fact that four justices signed on to GInsubrg’s dissenting opinion fills me with both anger at liberals and dread that the liberal viewpoint will eventually triumph over reason and sensibility. Ginsburg writes, “The Court’s order and opinion, I anticipate, will not have staying power.” I translate this as meaning that Obama is going to be president for another seven and a half years, so the liberals are only one heart attack away from reversing Ricci and imposing their will. It’s an unusually unsportsmanlike statement and demonstrates a disrespect for...

Libertarians remind Obama of his “firm pledge” not to tax health care benefitsPresident considering backing what he called the “biggest middle-class tax increase in history” WASHINGTON -- America’s third largest party Tuesday reminded President Barack Obama that supporting a proposed $246 billion tax on employer-provided health care benefits – a proposal he opposed as “the biggest middle-class tax increase in history” in campaign ads – would break his promise to oppose any form of tax increase on families making less than $250,000 a year. “In September of 2008, candidate Barack Obama asked Americans to read his lips and that he...

China is again calling for a global currency. "To avoid intrinsic shortcomings in using a sovereign currency as a reserve currency, we need to create an international reserve currency that is divorced from sovereign states and can maintain a stable value over the long term," according to a new People’s Bank of China report. Economists doubt the U.S. dollar will be replaced anytime soon, but China’s latest urging sent the dollar and U.S. stocks down. After Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed concern about China’s large dollar-based holdings in March, Chinese investors dumped $4.4 billion of Treasuries. Investors are wondering if...

One of West Virginia's U.S. senators is opposed to the landmark global warming bill that passed the House Friday, while the other has "serious concerns" about the measure.

Energy action switches sides on Capitol Hill as poll shows uneasiness WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- With a victory for his energy policy in the House of Representatives last week, President Barack Obama now shifts his attention to the Senate, where passage of a controversial "cap-and-trade" system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions is facing a steep uphill climb. "In the months to come, the Senate will take up its version of the energy bill, and I am confident that they too will choose to move this country forward," Obama said on Monday. Following the House vote on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats are urging Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to certify Democrat Al Franken's election to the Senate following the state Supreme Court's ruling that the former Saturday Night Live comedian defeated GOP incumbent Norm Coleman.

Beware the Hidden Costs by: Evan Sumortin, June 29, 2009 Supporters of government-run medical care frequently point to the “affordability” of this type of system, but such terms are inherently misleading. What pundits really mean by slogans about “bringing down the cost of healthcare” often involve programs or policies that lower the price paid out-of-pocket by the patient. This is not to be confused with the actual lowering of the total cost of medical treatment. Thomas Sowell explains it best in his recently revised book, Applied Economics (2009 edition): “Since governments get their resources used for medical care by taking...

Vetting Healthcare for Vets by: Mytheos Holt, June 29, 2009 Due to the recent appearance of oversight issues in the national veterans’ healthcare program, the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs convened a hearing chaired by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI). The committee room was practically abandoned, except for Chairman Akaka and Ranking (minority) Member Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). “We know of several instances of poor care,” Sen. Akaka said, accusing the administrators of “putting veterans at risk for infectious diseases.” According to Sen. Akaka, Congress had “subcontracted with an outside entity with the expectation that good care will be provided. Good...

If you're a fan of Alaska governor Sarah Palin, there's not a lot for you to love in Todd Purdum's new 9,800-word Vanity Fair profile — starting with the monster-movie title "It Came From Wasilla" — which explores not just the failed presidential campaign, not just her tenure as Alaska's governor, but the entire essence of Palin. But if you are one of the many Americans who love to hate Palin (or simply hate her), this is basically Christmas morning. And because nobody should have to exert themselves on Christmas, we've pulled out the ten most unflattering ways that Palin...

... then you are against the world! Yep, this is the new line from liberals and Democrats. If you are against this climate change, cap-and-trade legislation that is making its way through Congress, then you are basically immoral. Let's start with Henry Waxman, who is one of the chief architects of this cap-and-trade scheme. In response to the Republicans who voted against his plan, he says: "They [Republicans] want to play politics and see if they can keep any achievements from being accomplished that may be beneficial to the Democrats. They're rooting against the country and I think in this...

Healthy Debate by: Mytheos Holt, June 29, 2009 Reacting to what some have called President Barack Obama’s recent health care “infomercial” on ABC, Representative Charles Boustany, M.D. (R-LA) recently spoke via conference call to bloggers and journalists about the emerging Republican alternative to the 852-page Democratic proposal. At the start of the call, Rep. Boustany gave a short and optimistic statement about the potential savings and benefits which the Republican approach possessed. “We believe that we can provide near universal coverage at a fraction of the cost of what the Democrats are proposing by using what’s working today in health...

There is absolutely nothing to stops a single party from turning this country upside-down. Nothing. If we have any patriots in the Dim side at all, they must be getting worried. Can you imagine the pressure that will be put on them? This is going to get interesting very quickly because if radical changes are to be made, then it must be before an election.