Free Republic

• 26-year-old African American admitted to Atlanta lodge • Issue headed for Masonic trial and state courts There is much about Freemasonry that remains shrouded in mystery to the outside world. But a group of members in the US state of Georgia appear to have clarified one thing - the supreme being in which all Masons are required to believe is not likely to be black. Freemasonry lodges in Georgia are at loggerheads over the admission of a "non-white" member to an organisation that was founded on the principles of the Enlightenment but which is apparently still struggling to catch...

Military ordered to turn back Zelaya's jetBy WILL WEISSERT and NESTOR IKEDA – 1 hour ago TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras' ousted President Manuel said he was getting on a flight home to reclaim his post on Sunday, accompanied by the U.N. General Assembly president and a group of journalists. The interim government said it ordered the military to prevent the landing of Zelaya's plane. If turned away, it will likely land in El Salvador, where a separate flight was headed with Latin American leaders who support Zelaya's reinstatement. Thousands of protesters were gathering in the capital of Honduras in...

When Pope Benedict XVI greets U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican on July 10, the symbolism and sheer star power of the encounter will keep the pundits chattering away. The photo op alone is worth a thousand words: The 82-year-old man in white, the world's most recognizable religious leader and head of its largest single denomination comes face-to-face with the charismatic first black President of the world's last superpower. And the scheduling efforts of both the Vatican and the White House suggest a shared appreciation of the symbolic weight the first encounter between Obama and Benedict could carry. It...

Here’s a quick round-up of some more reactions. Ann Coulter is her usual brilliant self:

In a move set to infuriate and send many Zero Hedge readers over the top, the NYSE has taken action to make sure that nobody will henceforth be able to keep track of the complete dominance that Goldman Sachs exerts over the New York Stock Exchange. This basically ends our weekly Program Trading updates disclosed every Thursday indicating that Goldman has singlehandedly captured all of NYSE's program trading. In an information memorandum released on June 24 (09-31), the NYSE Regulation team has announced the Decommissioning of the Daily Program Trading Report (DPTR). From the memo: The New York Stock Exchange...

Alcee Hastings has offered an amendment that would keep "hate groups" out of the military. The Attorney General would get to define what a "hate group" is, and it wouldn't just include those who are violent but "extremists" who are "engaged in online discussion groups or blog or other postings".

Here is video of Vice-President Joe Biden admitting today on This Week with George Stephanopoulos that the Obama Administration "misread" the economy earlier this year when the pushed the stimulus bill. The administration thought Unemployment would not exceed 8% this year, and it is now 9.5%. They also discussed some economists who say there is a need for another stimulus package! Oh brother - if the first one did not work, do it again! . . . . (Watch Video)

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya prepared to fly back home on Sunday, setting the stage for a possible confrontation as the interim government that has defied international pressure said it would not let him enter the country. Honduras' interim government, slapped with suspension from the Organization of American States over its refusal to reinstate Zelaya, said it would refuse Zelaya permission to land... Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a leftist ally of Zelaya's, said U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto would accompany the ousted president on his planned return to Honduras. "There is a great mobilization of people...

Ms. “You Betcha” really outdid herself Friday. In a breathless, rambling, manic and, let’s be honest here, downright nutty address outside her Wasilla home, the self-described “pit bull with lipstick” shocked and amused the political world by announcing she’s quitting, mid-term, as Alaska’s governor. Why?

Breaking his silence regarding the resignation of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, talk titan Rush Limbaugh tells the Radio Equalizer that rumblings about her personal and political future are "all speculation".

A senior Church of England bishop has angered gay-rights campaigners by saying homosexuals should repent. Archbishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the Bible defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. He said the church welcomed gay people, "but we want them to repent and be changed." Nazir-Ali is a leading member of the conservative wing of the global Anglican Communion, which is riven by divisions over homosexuality and the ordination of women. Gay groups condemned the bishop's remarks. Campaigner Peter Tatchell said Nazir-Ali's view "goes against Christ's gospel of love and...

MOSCOW -- With the clock running out on a new US-Russian arms treaty before the previous Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, expires on December 5, a senior White House official said Sunday said that the difficulty of the task might mean temporarily bypassing the Senate’s constitutional role in ratifying treaties by enforcing certain aspects of a new deal on an executive levels and a “provisional basis” until the Senate ratifies the treaty. "The most ideal situation would be to finish it in time that it could be submitted to the Senate so that it can be ratified," said White...

Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), President Obama’s choice to be Secretary of the Army, has secured more than $44 million in earmarks for New York-based companies and a large Army base in his district. McHugh, formerly the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, gave up his post in early June when Obama picked him to be the Army’s civilian leader. McHugh, who has yet to be confirmed, is still a member of Congress.

Martina McBride, 1993 (Independence Day) "Let freedom ring. Let the rightious sing. Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning." Governor Sarah Palin shocked the world on a beautiful Friday afternoon in Alaska. Political gurus don't understand why she did what she did. What is the strategy behind this political move. Why would a popular 45 year old Governor walk away from her term with 18 months left. Early questions ranged from "Is she sick ?".."Is she under investigation from the FBI ?" or.. "Is she finished with politics ?" My theory is. YES, she is...

One rather expected consequence of the passing of the 'King of Pop', Michael Jackson is a rash of alleged sightings of Jackson's ghost. From the Philippines to Mexico, From Japan to the United States fans have been claiming to have been visited by Michael's spirit. One such story coming from Manila in the Philippines has captured the imagination of local radio audiences. Angelina Ramos, aged 38, a beautician and Manila native has been a serious Jackson fan 'all her life'. Last year never-married Angelina contracted a rare blood disease. Doctors gave her a ninety percent chance of not surviving for...

I began prepping for this article by saving multiple links condemning and dismissing soon-to-be ex-Gov Palin's decision to resign in late July. The political obituaries, however, became so ubiquitous that I simply stopped and closed all the tabs. It seems that everyone is so desperate to show Sarah the exit door, that they cannot think or write (yes, those are two different things not always co-existing) anything of depth. It's boilerplate claptrap lacking wholly in analysis. Let's step back and not fall into the tea-leaf world of the political soothsayers.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed confidence today in the U.S. military offensive in southern Afghanistan but left the door open to additional troops in the country if the situation calls for it. Admiral Mike Mullen sought to clarify an apparent disagreement with National Security Adviser Jim Jones, who reportedly told commanders in Afghanistan not to expect any additional troops. Admiral Mullen said he would wait to hear from General Stanley McChrystal, the new head commander in Afghanistan, who is conducting a 60 day assessment

At first Stewart Loew was excited by the sight: a mountain lion on the family's farm near Amado. In 40 years on the Agua Linda Farm, Loew said this was first large cat he had seen when it appeared in the donkey pen about a month ago. But soon, his animals started to turn up mauled or dead. First there were four sheep. Then, on June 15, an awful sight: 16 pygmy and nubian goats — all the mammals in the farm's petting zoo — were killed. Only the geese were spared. Loew and his wife, Laurel, who run the...

Hundreds protest taxesKeyes urges residents upset about government's path to spill some TEA at party By Craig Peters Last Modified: Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 1:02 a.m. Several hundred people filed into Boiling Springs Community Park Saturday for a Fourth of July TEA Party and picnic. Michael Brady, one of the event's lead organizers, took the stage in period attire of founding father Thomas Paine. Brady told attendees the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) party movement across the country is a "protest against the overreaching of our government." "I'm not calling anyone to arms … yet," Brady said. He received cheers...

Two Colorado organizations have launched another petition drive to put a personhood amendment on the 2010 ballot. Colorado Right to Life and Personhood Colorado are joining forces to gather the signatures for the 2010 Colorado Personhood Initiative. Right to Life spokeswoman Leslie Hanks says they are energized for the campaign. "People are really beginning to see that the God-given right to life of the preborn child is something exciting to fight for," she explains, "and we've really stood idly by for too long, allowing horrible human rights abuses to go unchallenged in so many ways in this country." In 2008, Colorado's Personhood Amendment garnered...