Free Republic

The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression has prompted a reassessment of how financial markets work and how people make decisions about money It has all the makings of a classic B movie scene. A gunman puts a pistol to the victim’s forehead, and the screen fades to black before a loud bang is heard. A forensic specialist who traces the bullet’s trajectory would see it traversing the brain’s prefrontal cortex—a central site for processing decisions. The few survivors of usually fatal injuries to this brain region should not be surprised to find their personalities dramatically altered. In one...

As families across the nation get set to celebrate our nation's independence, it is important to take a moment to reflect on the bravery of the men and women who defiantly stood up to the English Empire and fought for the right to live in a free, democratic and sovereign nation. Whether reflecting on one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, a nurse tending to wounded Americans soldiers, a gunpowder manufacturer or a private fighting against the vaunted English Army, it was their collective effort that paved the way for our framers to develop a unique system...

Either "CNBC Reports" anchor Dennis Kneale has a flair for the dramatic or he upset a lot of people in the blogosphere with his biting critique of the blogosphere's negativity on the economy. On the July 1 broadcast of "CNBC Reports," Kneale responded to harsh, angry criticism from bloggers - even pointing out blogs like the Huffington Post, with an openly left-of-center perspective. "Last night on this show, I stirred up an angry hornet's nest in the blogs, you know, when I criticized their mean-spirited negativity, bashed them for hiding behind their cowardly cloak of anonymity," Kneale said. "And, I...

A top Republican senator has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency's alleged suppression of a report that questioned the science behind global warming. The 98-page report, co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin, pushed back on the prospect of regulating gases like carbon dioxide as a way to reduce global warming. Carlin's report argued that the information the EPA was using was out of date, and that even as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, global temperatures have declined. "He came out with the truth. They don't want the truth at the EPA," Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a global...

D&C 84:33-44; 107; 121:34-36 By Breck England The Doctrine and Covenants is an invitation to all people everywhere to come unto Christ. In the revelations of this book “one hears the tender but firm voice of the Lord Jesus Christ,” inviting all to come unto Him “preparatory to his second coming.” [1] In the Sacred Grove, Jesus Christ informed the young Joseph Smith that the power of godliness had been taken from the earth. Joseph was told that the religious organizations of the day had “a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof” (JS-H 1:19). The “power of...

Make your voice heard, June 3 Mission and Objectives – Houston Tea Party Society: Is dedicated to the proposition that all citizens deserve a voice in how they are governed, and to the task of encouraging them to use that voice Believes the Constitution of the United States is still sufficient for our governanve, and does not need to be re-interpreted or revised in meaning Is devoted to political activism to change the political landscape in the Houston Area, and to working with other Tea Party organizations to achieve the goal of demanding our representatives follow the Constitution, limit government...

Many of you will know Aldi, the international retail giant owned by two reclusive German billionaires (hence the "Deutsche Küche" German delicatessen special purchases from time to time). Some because you shop there regularly, others because you read in the Wall Street Journal how they drove Walmart out of Germany (Legend has it that Aldi is the only company Walmart is afraid of because their overhead is so very low that they cannot beat them on price.). Of course they offer 4th of July BBQ items on their US web page as well. But did you know that Aldi celebrates...

Holder: Whites and Ministers will not be protected by proposed hate crimes legislation. Attorney General Eric Holder testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 25 and gave startling testimony that means Christian ministers and whites will not be protected under the hate crimes statute proposed by the Department of Justice. Holder says that the proposed statute would only protect “traditional” victims of hate crimes, and then he goes on to name a series of Democratic Party constituencies. You can either launch the video here or click the webstream link here to see his testimony for yourself. Senator Sessions asks...

When I put out the call for photoshop entries to depict the Tr8torous Eight or “Despicable Eight” Republican Congressmen and women who sided with Obama on the Cap and Trade legislation last week, I never actually thought anyone would do it. - LINK TO ARTICLE AND VOTING SUBMISSION INFO -

According to Aaron Klein of WND, President Obama is strongly considering appointing his former Middle East adviser, Daniel Kurtzer, as U.S. ambassador to Syria, according to Syrian diplomatic sources: Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, long has been seen in Jerusalem as one of the Jewish state's greatest foes in Washington. He has been identified by Jewish and Israeli leaders, including prime ministers speaking on the record, as biased against Israel, and is notorious for urging extreme concessions from the Jewish state. Kurtzer came under fire last summer when he traveled to Damascus where he reportedly urged Syrian officials...

I know, I know. I'm probably boring you to death by going through the Cap and Trade bill with a fine tooth comb. But today, let's talk about how it would direct money to the working poor in America. On page 1193, the bill would add a section to the Social Security Act on an "Energy Refund Program." Basically, those making no more than 150% of the poverty line, would get monthly cash payments from the government to offset the extra costs that are caused by this bill. In other words, as your energy bill goes up, the feds will...

If you haven’t noticed there is a distinctive move to lower America’s standard of living to that of a third world nation. Barack Hussein Obama and his Democrat cohorts in Congress don’t believe that you have the right to pursue prosperity. Why? Because it isn’t fair that one country should enjoy the abundance that America has enjoyed for these many decades while other nations suffer in poverty. It’s not fair that you ride around in cars, it’s not fair that you air condition your homes and it’s not fair that you leave straps of food on your plate ...

Representatives of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and the Rabbinical Council of America met on June 25 with representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to discuss the recently released “Note on Ambiguities Contained in ‘Reflections on Covenant and Mission,’” which critiqued doctrinal deficiencies in a 2002 statement on Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

The financial system is crashing and action must be taken by the US government to convert debt into equity to produce a more stable environment, Nassim Taleb, author of "The Black Swan," told CNBC Thursday.

While Americans are busy enjoying ice cream, hot dogs, cold drinks, and fireworks on July 4, I’m sure very few consider the following questions: What would the Founding Fathers say about the modern United States, and what is the meaning of independence? Certainly the United States would not be here without the Founders, the greatest generation in American history, but perhaps a better way of answering the questions is by simply considering whether the United States is the federal republic of the Founders’ design or has it been “remade” as Barack Obama continues to suggest. The dichotomy between the Founders’...

WASHINGTON – Employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June, driving the unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, suggesting that the economy's road to recovery will be bumpy. The Labor Department report, released Thursday, showed that even as the recession flashes signs of easing, companies likely will want to keep a lid on costs and be wary of hiring until they feel certain the economy is on solid ground. June's payroll reductions were deeper than the 363,000 that economists expected and average weekly earnings dropped to the lowest level in nearly a year. However, the rise...

What is the ultimate end of growing control? There have been several forms of government oppression throughout history: absolute monarchy, Communism, fascism, Nazism, and Islamofascism (such as the Taliban), to name some of the more infamous examples. So an accurate view of the modern positions of Right and Left would place anarchy at the extreme right, totalitarianism at the extreme left. In the years following the American Revolution, the Founders of this nation desired to create a system of government that was a perfect balance between these two extremes. Their desire was to create a federalist republic that would protect...

"It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." (From this week's Torah portion, Balak, Numbers 23:9) Currently, Israel's very essence is its unrequited ambition to be reckoned among the nations. Official Israel does all in its power to be "normal -" in other words, to be like the nations of the world. Israel yearns to be accepted, to "belong," to enjoy the patronage of the nations. It will settle for almost anything. As long as it will not have to dwell alone. Jewish home in outpost. Sign says "G-d is King." But...

The San Francisco Chronicle is proving the old bromide true. That's the one that goes: "a lie can be half way 'round the world before the truth can pull its boots on" (often incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain). Then there is another one Twain didn't originate but aptly fits here, "there are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics." The subject of this scoffing is that factoid the Old Media has been promulgating like gospel where "90% of Mexico's confiscated guns are from the U.S." The problem with this "90%" refrain is that it just isn't true. There...

A 4th of July conversation between Dude - a teenager - and his Uncle Sam... Yo, Uncle. Wasup? Good morning, Dude. What am I doing? I'm getting into my suit for the parade. What're you gonna be in a parade for? They gonna have a lot of hot chicks and cool floats? I don't know about that, Dude. But I do know there will be many military people and ordinary citizens - and brass bands playing Sousa marches and songs about America. It's our annual celebration of independence and liberty. Whatever. So why the monkey suit? Why the funky pants...