Free Republic

“The Civil Rights Division is also parachuting in its attorneys from the Coordination and Review Section (one of whose staff lawyers is a former illegal alien) to probe whether Sheriff Arpaio has engaged in ‘national origin discrimination’ against illegal aliens, including failing to provide ‘meaningful access’ to county services for ‘limited English proficient’ inmates.”

In victory, the Republicans grew increasingly extreme and overconfident, encouraging figures such as Ms. Palin to follow their most extreme instincts. In defeat, the Democrats at last began to refurbish their progressive ideology, reconnect with working American families and rediscover their will to fight. As an author and radio personality, Franken made a significant contribution to his party's renewal. He was ready for prime-time politics in ways that Palin, the sudden star who could barely utter a coherent paragraph, was not. Beneath the glittering surface, she exhibited profound weakness. Behind the joking persona, he showed moral and intellectual strength.

The Educational Testing Service wanted to help graduate school applicants prove they are more than a set of test scores. So it developed a tool to rate students across a broad sweep of traits -- creativity, teamwork, integrity -- that admission tests don't measure. The Personal Potential Index, unveiled this week, looks suspiciously like another set of scores. An applicant's personality is distilled into six traits, and the applicant is rated on each of them by various professors and former supervisors on a scale of 1 to 5. Officials with the nonprofit organization, based in Princeton, N.J., say the index...

TEHRAN, July 9 -- Thousands of anti-government demonstrators were attacked with batons and tear gas by security forces Thursday as they tried to gather around Tehran University for the first protests in about two weeks, defying warnings from the authorities that they would crush any demonstrations. The protests were called to commemorate an attack on students at the university in 1999. The demonstrators are using such anniversaries and special occasions to rally people in public. Demonstrators and Web sites said the next possible date is the second-term inauguration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which is expected next month. Several national and...

PAMPLONA, Spain — A charging bull gored a young man to death Friday at Pamplona's San Fermin festival, the first such fatality in nearly 15 years. Nine others were injured in a particularly dangerous and chaotic chapter of the running of the bulls. The San Fermin festival Web site said the unidentified man was gored in the neck and lung during a run in which a rogue bull separated from the pack, which is among the worst things that can happen at Spain's most popular fiesta. Photographs showed the man lying on a stretcher moments after the goring, his face...

Episcopal presiding bishop terms individualistic salvation 'heresy' By Bob Allen Thursday, July 09, 2009 ANAHEIM, Calif. (ABP) -- The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church called the evangelical notion that individuals can be right with God a "great Western heresy" that is behind many problems facing the church and the wider society. Describing a United States church in crisis, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told delegates to the group's triennial meeting July 8 in Anaheim, Calif., that the overarching connection to problems facing Episcopalians has to do with "the great Western heresy -- that we can be saved as individuals,...

Sneed has learned that U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has decided not to seek election to a seat he fought the government to keep...To wit: Burris, whose decision to vie for Barack Obama's seat landed him in the midst of a federal pay-to-play corruption probe of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, decided to end his 20-year political career at the end of his term... "because he was primarily concerned about his legacy," a source close to Burris told Sneed.

They're expanding: The years-in-the-making project, which may cost billions over time, got a $181 million start last week when President Obama signed a war spending bill in which Congress agreed to pay for primary construction, power access and security infrastructure. The enormous building, which will have a footprint about three times the size of the Utah State Capitol building, will be constructed on a 200-acre site near the Utah National Guard facility's runway. Congressional records show that initial construction -- which may begin this year -- will include tens of millions in electrical work and utility construction, a $9.3 million...

Very entertaining commentary by John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel.

Today’s meeting between President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI will bring together two leaders who share a vision for helping the needy of the world and working toward peace, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, said Thursday. Obama’s first meeting with the leader of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics follows the release of the encyclical “Charity in Truth” on Wednesday, in which Benedict stated that love of neighbor and justice require the wealthy and powerful nations of the world to help the poor, seek peace and protect the Earth. “He presents a challenge to all political leaders,” DeLauro said...

Here is video of Fox News' Brit Hume's commentary last night, July 9, 2009, where he said talk on Capitol Hill of a 2nd Stimulus Plan was being accompanied by the sound of "chickens coming home to roost." Hume says the failure of the first stimulus so far to make a difference in the economy is because it was really not designed to stimulate the economy, with very little to help small business or provide genuine tax relief to Americans. He suggests they could still take some of the money not yet allocated and redirect it to tax relief and...

HIS wife once compared him to a Datsun Sunny, suggesting he would "go forever". But on Wednesday night, following surgery in Geelong Hospital, Ted Kenna died a few days after his 90th birthday. There was little about Mr Kenna to distinguish him from the rest of his generation - except for a single moment in 1945, when he made a choice he was compelled to explain over and over for the rest of his life. Winning the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery, was both a privilege and burden. He had met the Queen 13 times and appeared on...

A Russian TV channel has reportedly cut a segment of the ribald U.S. cartoon comedy South Park that appeared to mock Vladimir Putin. The channel "2X2" reportedly cut material from the show that aired Tuesday, portraying Putin as a greedy and desperate leader _ a decision that prompted criticism and furious discussion on Russia blogs. It was unclear whether the decision, involving an episode that originally aired in the United States in 2005, was made by channel executives or regulators. Channel executives could not be reached for comment Friday. A spokesman with Russia's broadcast regulator, Rosskomnadzor, said he knew nothing...

President Obama's appointment of Francis Collins to run the National Institutes of Health is significant as a culture war statement. A devout Christian, Collins is one of the foremost advocates for the notion that science and faith are compatible. The former head of the Human Genome Project, Collins is also the author of The Language of God. He's a strong believer but he doesn't let that weaken his scientific rigor (for instance, he's been critical of Creationism and Intelligent Design). Continued

No matter how you approach it, summer grilling is a lose-lose situation for Mother Nature. Are you cookin’ veggie burgers over natural, low-impact lump charcoal that you fired up with a chimney starter? You’re still also cookin' up an ample amount of air pollution. Are you serving local veggie kabobs expertly grilled over a gas-powered flame? You’re generating less sooty particles but that gas, as you’re probably aware, is a nonrenewable resource. What about that free-range chicken cooked over an electric grill? If it's plugged in, you're generating greenhouse gases there, too. If you gotta grill, you gotta grill (but...

Why is it that Americans do not care about CAIR (Council on American - Islamic Relations)? Is it because the main stream media (MSM) ignores them? Possibly. Is it because they have a great public relations department? Maybe. Or, does it run deeper than that? Probably. If you do not know about CAIR, I implore you to keep reading. If you think you know about CAIR, you definitely need to keep reading. CAIR goes out of its way to attack anyone who dares speak the truth about Islam. Their biggest target has been Robert Spencer, the founder of Jihadwatch.org and...

While in Italy for the G8 summit, President Barack Obama checked out the, er, sights.

What’s Following You? Today's Scripture "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6, NKJ) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria As a believer in Jesus, did you know that goodness and mercy are following you? God´s grace and favor are chasing you down! But if you live with a cloud of condemnation over you, if you surround yourself with negativity, then you are putting a barrier between yourself and the blessings of God. So many believers today miss out on what...

The federal minimum wage is set to increase later this month as the job market shows signs of further decay. The federal minimum wage will go to $7.25 an hour on July 24 from its current level of $6.55, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The impact will be felt in 29 states, and many of them plan to match the federal minimum when it goes through.