Free Republic

...These warrants will not be subject to the normal, federal check-hold limits and therefore could be subject to extended holds....The State of California will likely return unpaid any registered warrants that it receives before the payment date. Therefore, depositors of these warrants may be subject to returned-deposit fees if their banks attempt to collect these warrants before they are payable...

Guess which side Obama is on?Citizens of the small Central American country Honduras are getting tired of the bad rap they have taken by removing their President before he could declare a dicatorship. They've taken to the streets for the past few days eager to send us all a message about what is really happening. A pictorial of their demonstrations contrasts with the image of communist inspired violence in the streets: People demonstrate against ousted president Manuel Zelaya and in demand of peace and democracy, at Morazan Square in central Tegucigalpa, on June 30, 2009. Tensions were running high in...

Apollo was momentous in a way that Yuri Gagarin's first, heroic orbit could never have been. Gagarin had circled the Earth in 92 minutes in 1961. He had travelled 24,000 miles in an hour and a half; he had made history; he had confirmed Soviet space supremacy; he had done a thing that many thought could never be done. But two things separated him from the Apollo team eight years later.

[T]oday the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the layoff of Census workers comprised the bulk of the jobs just lost in the federal government. The July 2 Employment Situation Summary states: "Employment in federal government fell by 49,000 in June, largely due to the layoff of workers temporarily hired to prepare for Census 2010." What's wrong with this picture? The federal government isn't exactly on an austerity binge right now. Given that the Obama administration lied about ACORN's involvement in the Census, it might be lying now about the laid off workers being temporary employees. Is the way being...

Slimy saliva contains digestive enzymes that help canines (and humans) break down their food. Saliva also wets the throat for a smooth snack-slide right into the belly. But that all happens inside the body. Drooling occurs when there's a saliva spill. It's simply biomechanics: Some dogs, such as bulldogs and mastiffs, have such short snouts they have trouble containing their saliva and the leakage constantly pours out. Bow-wows with folded skin around their mouths, such as St. Bernards, bloodhounds and Bassett hounds, are also big drippers.

The news cycle these days is like time-lapse photography. Stories are born, flower and pass out of sight again in a matter of hours. For that matter, the Washington Post's "Salon" program didn't last much longer than that. Blink, or take a day off from the computer, and you've missed it. Here, via The Examiner, is the invitation that the Washington Post sent to lobbyists for companies in the health care industries; ...: The mind boggles: the Post wants lobbyists to bring "your organization's CEO or executive director" to a "salon" at the home of Post publisher Katharine Weymouth. If...

Practically an Indiana Jones in space, Dr. Daniel Jackson is at the core of the Stargate franchise by discovering the secret of the device's operation in "Stargate SG-1" and later provided some much needed input to get "Stargate: Atlantis" off the ground when it first premiered in 2004.

The nation's jobless rate scored its biggest year-to-year June increase in four decades, losing 6.1 million jobs in one year's time, a nearly 70 percent spike, a FOXNews.com analysis of labor statistics shows. The jobless rate leapt to 9.5 percent from 5.6 percent between June 2008 and June 2009, a 3.9 percent spread that matched April and May yearly differences and tie for the highest yearly percentage spread since May 1974-1975. In May 2009, 14.5 million people were unemployed -- 6 million more than one year earlier. The jobless rate during that time leapt to 9.4 percent from 5.5 percent,...

Last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings (video at the link) on the proposed federal hate crimes bill showed the dark underbelly of the Senate. The road to undermining the rule of law is being paved with the best of intentions and casual disregard (if not outright hostility) for the principles of limited government and equality under the law. I raise some objections to the bill in this podcast: The bill federalizes violent acts against victims by reason of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Never mind that these acts are...

Psst: The super-secretive National Security Agency is about to build a huge, $1.9 billion data center at Camp Williams, Utah, to help spy on communications worldwide. The planned work there is so sensitive and classified that Utah's congressional delegation is declining to talk about it, saying it doesn't want to accidentally step over any lines about what can and cannot be disclosed. They referred inquiries to the NSA, which provided only a brief statement confirming the center is coming to Utah.

Red light cameras now check for insurance, tooDrive without insurance? Then you'd better stay out of Ohio, where the state is considering a program that uses red-light cameras and insurance company databases to check passing traffic for uninsured motorists. The system would use license plate numbers to verify driver insurance. According to the Columbus Dispatch, officials in Chicago, who are considering the same system, from InsureNet of Novi, Michigan, think that such a program could generate $200 million in additional revenue for the Windy City. When the system identifies an uninsured motorist, the driver would be sent a letter instructing...

by Gina L. DiorioHappy Independence Day! Wait, you may say, Independence Day isn’t until July 4th. If you think that’s true, think again. For while the Continental Congress adopted our Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, it was on July 2 that that body officially declared independence from Great Britain by voting in favor of the Lee Resolution. Named for its author, Virginia Delegate Richard Henry Lee, the Lee Resolution stated: Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown; and...

The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced Thursday that all its offices will be closed for three Fridays in July as part of furlough order. Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal state of emergency ordered a third furlough day for more than 200,000 state employees. The move will bring their total pay cut to about 14 percent.

More bad news for Barack Obama. The first major book to be published on his presidency has shot up to the No. 1 spot on The New York Times' bestseller list the very first week of its release. Unlike the fawning media coverage the Obama White House has come to expect, this new best-seller "Catastrophe" paints a deeply negative picture of Obama and his policies. "Catastrophe: How Obama, Congress, and the Special Interests Are Transforming a Slump Into a Crash, Freedom Into Socialism, and a Disaster Into a Catastrophe . . . and How to Fight Back" is authored by...

A research group from Bristol has found that a naturally occurring protein, known as nerve growth factor, can dramatically improve the survival of heart cells and reduce heart cell damage following a heart attack in mice. The researchers hope that this treatment could also benefit humans and prevent heart attack victims from suffering further damage to their heart muscle. Nerve growth factor - healing broken hearts Growth factors are naturally occurring molecules produced by the body to regulate cell division and cell survival processes. Some growth factors are known to influence many different cell types, whereas others are considered...

Free-agent forward Ron Artest says he's leaving the Houston Rockets to join the Los Angeles Lakers. In a text message to ESPN.com on Thursday night, Artest wrote: "I am happy to say I am goin' to L.A." ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard reports that Artest and the Lakers have reached a verbal agreement on what is believed to be a three-year contract worth an estimated $18 million. Wednesday is the first day free agents are permitted to sign new deals. Artest's decision was first reported by CBSSports.com. The mercurial swingman was initially courted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his text...

I have a 1948 Farmall M (that's an old farm tractor for you non-rural types) which I plan to put in the local July 4 parade if it stops raining by then. It has a set of plows mounted on it and I'm looking for ideas for something pithy to say. So far I'm thinking "Plowed under with debt. Thanks, Washington."Suggestions welcome.Back in '04, I pulled a manure spreader with a sign on it that said "Political Promises Here". Got lots of thumbs up along the route. The turd hearse has since been given away, unfortunately.

No, just kidding. At -10, it’s actually quite a bit higher than you’d expect. Less than a week before Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-Minn.) is set to be sworn into office, a new national poll shows that 44 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of the former comedian and liberal radio host. A Rasmussen Reports poll released Thursday found that 34 percent have a favorable view of Franken, who defeated former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman to win the seat. Another 22 percent are not sure what they think of him. The poll revealed that Franken generates strong feelings among his...

In his recent speech to the American Medical Association, President Obama counseled Americans to beware "dire warnings about socialized medicine and government takeovers; long lines, and rationed care; decisions made by bureaucrats and not doctors." Unfortunately for the president, there are a few Cassandras whose warnings are worth heeding. Chief among them are the millions of Canadians who have received substandard care at the hands of a government-run health system. Before America emulates the Canadian model with a new trillion-plus-dollar health plan, it's worth examining whether government-run systems are all they're cracked up to be. As a Canadian by birth,...

    ~ Finally Friday ~ Celebration Of An Exceptional Country       A World Without America Have you ever used one of the following items? Mouse (computing), Ethernet, Zipper, Teddy Bear, Radar Gun, Radial Arm Saw, Airbag, Autopilot, Bubblegum, Burr Truss, Cash Register, Crayons, Email, Ferris Wheel, Flashlight, Franklin Stove, Gilhoolie, Internet, Laser Printer, Nylon, Microwave oven, Floppy Disk, Scrabble, Shopping cart, Tea Bag, etc. Click for more. If so, THANK AMERICA!     Fun Facts About America:   --Venus Fly Traps only live in the wild in the Carolinas and nowhere else in the world. --A town called Terminus...