Free Republic

A decisive shift in the political battleground has taken place, and few analysts have noticed. Sun Tzu, the Chinese warlord who assembled the psychological philosophy widely known today as The Art of War, knew what he was talking about, and would have been a formidable political strategist. With the exception of the queen, the game of chess assigns each piece very specific tactics, and very specific limitations. The queen can project its power in any direction and distance, thus rendering it a formidable piece. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the pawn. With the exception of its opening...

Here is video reviewing the 47 years of appearances Sen. Ted Kennedy made on NBC's Meet the Press. He made his first appearance when he was running for the U.S. Senate in 1962, and appeared on the show frequently over the years that followed. . . . . (Watch Video)

Democrat Senator Jay Rockefeller and liberal Republican Olympia Snowe are still working on that comprehensive cyber security bill that would give the president control over private portions of the Internet. Rockefeller and Snowe first announced their idea last spring. CNET has obtained a copy of the new draft legislation S. 773. Part of the bill reads: (B) may, if the President finds it necessary for the national defense and security, and in co- ordination with relevant industry sectors, direct the national response to the cyber threat and the timely restoration of the affected critical in- frastructure information system or network;...

California's financial unraveling has prompted a long-overdue debate about taxes, regulation, and government spending, but the state's media and government continue to ignore what could be an even greater problem: the irreparable damage to California's human capital that nearly 30 years of unrestrained illegal immigration has achieved. This is not an immigration problem, or even an illegal-immigration problem, per se. A strong case could be made that, in terms of educational achievement, industriousness, and entrepreneurial acumen, Asian immigrants to California have proven superior to white natives of the state. Therefore, if California were to experience a wave of mass immigration...

Former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is poised to mount a Democratic primary campaign against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. Urged to challenge Gov. Bill Ritter as he seeks re-election in 2010, Romanoff has instead turned his attention to next year's Senate race, sources close to Romanoff told The Denver Post. One source reported that Romanoff offered a campaign position to a veteran Democratic strategist. Romanoff could not be reached for comment Friday night, but several people close to him said they expect him to announce next month. Wally Stealey, a longtime lobbyist and political mover in Pueblo, said Romanoff called...

Scott Rasmussen's Daily Presidential Tracking Poll gets a lot of national attention -- as it should -- with the index balancing the strongly approve numbers versus the strongly disapprove numbers. Taken with the three day rolling average concept, an argument could be made that Rasmussen's poll and his index is the best snap shot of informed and engaged Americans at any given time. Certainly the fact that sometime around July 4th this poll crossed into negative territory and has stayed there is significant. Also important and telling is the fact that the strongly disapprove numbers have hovered around 40% for...

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was indicted on corruption charges Sunday, becoming the first Israeli premier to go on trial and highlighting a series of cases that have shaken the public's faith in the political system.

How the financial markets work explained in a way that anyone can understand.

Bipartisan support for Kennedy's widow to assume seatBy: Susan Ferrechio Chief Congressional Correspondent 08/30/09 2:12 PM EDT While Ted Kennedy's widow, Vicki Kennedy, has indicated she is not interested in assuming her husband's Senate seat, there is bipartisan support for her to take the job, if only temporarily. The Massachusetts state legislature is getting ready to debate a bill that would give Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick the authority to appoint an interim senator to fill the seat until a special election is held and some are suggesting the 55-year-old lawyer would be perfect for the job. "I think Vicki ought...

Updated August 18, 2008 (first published June 4, 2008) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) - Many people have walked into the Roman Catholic Church through the broad door of the “church fathers,” and this is a loud warning today when there is a widespread attraction to the “church fathers” within evangelicalism. The Catholic apologetic ministries use the “church fathers” to prove that Rome’s doctrines go back to the earliest centuries. In...

An attack by a Chinese online game provider meant to cripple the servers of its rivals ballooned to cause an Internet outage in much of the country in May, according to police. -The main culprit in the case, a 23-year-old cotton factory worker surnamed Bing, had bought a set of "private servers" and offered online games and advertising services on them, the statement said. Private servers are usually used to run emulated versions of popular online games like World of Warcraft. Their operators are often unlicensed by the game designers but make money on subscription fees or advertising. Bing made...

Firefighters' goal: Keep the fire within the blue line. The northern flank is nearing the Acton area, prompting evacuations along Highway 14. The fire is two miles from Mt. Wilson, site of communications towers and an observatory. To the southwest, flames are still spreading above the foothills above the 210. La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge expands evacuation areas.

Who paid for yesterdays state funeral? And why was this looser given such a send off, you would think someone important died. Just asking.

Iraqi Police officers and their families from Kirkuk province, and 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers ride the rollercoaster together at the Iraqi Police Kids Night at the Kirkuk Amusement Park, Aug. 18. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division. FOB WARRIOR — The high-pitched sound of children laughing and a rollercoaster's rumble were heard at the Kirkuk Amusement Park on the outskirts of Kirkuk City, Aug. 18. Iraqi Police (IP), their children, and U.S. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, traveled in groups, wandering the park looking for the best rides.Weeks...

Some of the content is a bit local-oriented and requires some inside knowledge, but it's really well thought out and well-executed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ekb3idFstI

Do you fret about whether you're raising your child correctly? Not to worry. Even if you're deeply involved in your children's lives and happy with their social development, you have an eager partner in rearing your offspring: the Clark County School District. Of course, the district's ideas of what qualities make up a model youngster are probably very different from yours. But hey, we all have time to do a little debriefing after homework every night, right? Monday was the first day of the new school year, and it proved to be more of a learning experience for me than...

Here is video on the discovery of seven people found dead in a Georgia mobile home. The dead were found in Brunswick, Georgia. Two people were reportedly found alive in the mobile home and are being treated at an area hospital. No names have been released on the dead. . . . . . (Watch Video)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today urged residents in fire evacuation zones to flee as firefighters predicted another difficult day battling a wildfire that has burned 35,000 acres and threatened more than 12,000 homes from Acton to Altadena. Schwarzenegger noted at a morning press conference that three residents in Big Tujunga Canyon suffered serious burns trying in vain to save their homes Saturday. "There will be people who don't listen," the governor said at the fire command post in Lake View Terrace. ". . . Move as soon as [firefighters] say to move." Although thousands of homes are covered in the evacuation...

Iran has until late September to respond to the latest international proposal aimed at stopping the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear weapon. Under the proposal, Iran would suspend its uranium enrichment program in exchange for a U.N. Security Council commitment to forgo a fourth round of economic and diplomatic sanctions. But if diplomacy fails, the world should be prepared for an Israeli attack on Iran's suspected nuclear weapons facilities. As Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently acknowledged: "The window between a strike on Iran and their getting nuclear weapons is a pretty...

BRUNSWICK, Ga. - As cryptic as ever, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering wouldn't say this afternoon whether the man charged with tampering with evidence and obstructing police in their probe of Saturday's mobile home massacre is tied to the deaths.