Free Republic

People protectionism Rich countries respond to the economic downturn by trying to limit the flow of migrants IN THE boom years, migrants picked fruit in southern California's orange groves, worked on construction sites in Spain and Ireland, designed software in Silicon Valley and toiled in factories all over the rich world. Many will continue to do so, despite the economic downturn. But as unemployment rises in most rich countries, attitudes towards migrants are hardening. Attacks on Romanians in Northern Ireland and on Indian students in Australia are the most visible and disturbing manifestations of growing xenophobia. In response, many governments...

BAGHDAD, July 6, 2009 – Red, white and blue are the colors associated with American independence, but this year, we can add another color: brown. An Iraqi-born U.S. soldier turned American citizen, Spc. “Brown,” right, an interpreter attached to the 225th Engineer Brigade, shakes hands with Vice President Joe Biden during a naturalization ceremony at Camp Liberty, Iraq, July 4, 2009. Brown joined 236 other U.S. servicemembers from more than 50 countries to take the U.S. oath of citizenship on Independence Day. U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Pat Simon  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Spc. “Brown,” an...

Congressional advocates of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill that narrowly passed the House by a vote of 219-212 on June 26 employed bribery to build support for this legislation when they co-opted several corporations by giving them free carbon dioxide emission credits. However, many businesses still balked at lending support to a bill that will impose a crushing energy tax on the American people and cost the economy trillions of dollars. Since bribery didn't work with these recalcitrant companies, Waxman-Markey supporters tried intimidation. MidAmerican is a $41 billion Iowa-based holding company of seven subsidiaries that own many coal-fired power plants and...

Katherine Varjian, 65, had been feeding feral cats, or felines that are not under her ownership, in her Beverly Hills neighborhood for the past 12 years. The Beverly Hills Municipal Court will now decide whether or not her actions are within the confines of the law. Varjian was feeding between 20 and 30 cats daily in the alley behind the 100-200 blocks of Palm, Maple and Oakhurst Drives. She was issued citations twice for this behavior – first in January of this year, then again in February. The violation is considered a misdemeanor by the City and will be heard...

Free this poll....Palin needs your help!!!

MOSCOW (Reuters) - In a slip of the tongue, U.S. President Barack Obama described Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday as president, echoing the widely held view that he remains Russia's most powerful man.

Leave it to some loony leftist like Mike Lupica to try to use the tragic events surrounding Steve McNair's death as an occasion to complain about guns. McNair's death is not a result of gun culture. Guns were the least of the myriad problems. The issue that should be brought to light by the murder of Mr. McNair is the overarching cultural collapse we're seeing in our country. As cliche' as it will sound, our culture is in trouble. Of course, those on the political Left hate to hear people talk about cultural issues. No doubt they will lie in...

As I noted in my previous post, State Dept. spokesman Ian Kelly on Monday issued a statement saying the US "deplores the use of force against demonstrators in" Honduras. He then added, "We're very focused on the need for a dialog to restore [Manuel Zelaya] back to office and restore the democratic order." It has also been reported that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet with the former dictator [Mr. Zelaya] on Tuesday. Of course, as I noted previously, Ian Kelly, in typical hypocritical fashion, refused to condemn the brutal suppression of protesters in Iran. Nevertheless, there...

ABOARD USS RONALD REAGAN AT SEA, July 6, 2009 – The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group relieved the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group today in command of Task Force 50 and launched its first sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 22 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, July 6, 2009. Ronald Reagan relieved USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in command of Task Force 50 and launched its first sorties into Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Apprentice Oliver Cole  (Click...

Those great moderates in the GOP are not going to like this, released from Gallup today, Conservatism on the ascendancy......By the way, for every 1 moderate vote we gain by going to the middle, 2 people from the base stay at home on election day -HAP....

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 6, 2009 – The Tennessee National Guard’s agribusiness development team is up and running as the first of its kind in Afghanistan’s Paktia and Paktika provinces. Army Col. Jim D. Moore, commander of the Tennessee Agribusiness Development Team, visits with village elders in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province to evaluate a proposed project site, June 1, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Todd Steffen  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Team officials said their primary mission is to set the stage for the success of the teams that come after them. The Tennessee team includes security force...

nvasion of privacy is an issue that really gets under State Rep. Babette Josephs' skin. That's why the Philadelphia Democrat introduced a bill, passed unanimously last week by the House, that would ban the forced implantation of computer chips in humans. Conjuring Orwellian images, Josephs worries the identification devices - the size of a grain of rice - could lead to a real-life Big Brother nightmare. "I'm doing, I think, what the legislature does too little of," she said. "This is a problem on the horizon, and I want to address it before it becomes a societal disgrace." Though the...

Casey Kasem, the radio host who told listeners for decades to “keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars,” has finished his American Top 20 song countdown. “This will be our final countdown,” Mr. Kasem, 77, said over the weekend on “American Top 20,” ABC News reported

One of the more amusing claims to come out of the White House is that despite the massive increase in government involvement in the economy, and despite a massive commensurate increase in regulation that is headed our way like a freight train, Barack Obama bemoans the Czar of the Economy status he has appropriated for himself, and really doesn’t want government’s influence to be as pervasive in economic matters as he and his Administration are working to make it. Gene Healy properly calls shenanigans, and points out that the President doth protest too much: “I am a firm believer in...

Treasury ready to twist arms over consumer agencyReuters - 1 hour 34 minutes ago By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department is warning the financial services industry that it will not back down from its proposal to create a new consumer protection agency, even while lobbyists build a warchest and strategy to defeat the plan. The new agency, part of a wider revamp of U.S. financial rules proposed by the Obama administration, would have the power to regulate products like mortgages and credit cards in what advocates have likened to a safety commission for financial products. The proposal, detailed...

It is now humanly impossible to keep up with all the news delivered worldwide each day. In fact, the sheer volume of news in any developed country is probably why so many critical issues go unaddressed and unresolved. ... Had GM been forced into bankruptcy 40 years ago it would have been the headline news for weeks on end, with months of follow-ups determining how such a corporate tragedy could have happened in the land of plenty. ... Well, we do have a new billion-dollar stadium for the Cowboys. And it has certainly received far more press coverage than the...

J.Crew is using Sasha and Malia Obama to market some of its spring and summer styles, in a press release sent ... ... to reporters Monday afternoon titled "The Obama Girls Bring Some American Style to Moscow." "Malia & Sasha wore J.Crew and crewcuts as they exited Air Fore One in Moscow — stylish in their trenches, they also accessorized with ballet flat shoes," the release says. The notice includes two photographs of Sasha and Malia deplaning Air Force One with their parents and an image of the J.Crew logo. It also offers details about the specific items each of...

In public school classrooms across the country, religious liberty is under assault. Last month in Florida, two Christian student leaders at Pace High School were barred from speaking at their graduation ceremony due to fears they might mention their faith in violation of a court order stemming from an anti-religious lawsuit filed by the ACLU. Across the country in California, UCLA administrators grudgingly allowed senior Christina Popa to thank Jesus in her graduation testimony after a widespread public backlash against their initial decision to sanitize any mention of Jesus from her statements (in Colorado, former high school valedictorian Erica...

The United States’ National Security Agency (NSA) is planning on spending around $1.8 billion to build itself a new, million square foot data center in Fort Williams, Utah, according to a document on military construction for 2009. This branching out is largely due to the fact that the NSA’s power bill is too much, so the move is in hopes of doing the same work in a place where electricity is cheaper. The initial infrastructure is for 65MW of power distribution, but it seems that the ultimate plan is to build a 5.8 million square foot “campus” at its current...

Faced with the thorny problem of having no "First Lady" to look after the G8 leaders' spouses on their three day trip to Italy, Silvio Berlusconi has come up with a solution in keeping with his reputation. The Italian prime minister has asked a former topless model turned government minister to stand in for his estranged wife. The 72-year-old premier has chosen Mara Carfagna – now Italy's equal opportunities minister – to take care of the likes of Michelle Obama Formr model Mara Carfagna will take care of the likes of Michelle Obama and Sarah Brown Miss Carfagna, 33, is...