Free Republic

The Prophet Joseph Smith cautioned latter-day saints to avoid undue political partisanship because it didn't amount to much more than giving one side or another the rope with which to hang us. [SNIP] Liberals accuse Mormons of being too conservative on abortion. However, we believe abortion may be prayerfully considered in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. It is the individual's choice, but that choice should be made after serious reflection, prayer, and receiving guidance through the Holy Spirit. This more moderate position causes the religious right to label us as "flip-floppers."......

At age 34, two years before his first election and two decades before he would run for governor of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell submitted a master's thesis to the evangelical school he was attending in Virginia Beach in which he described working women and feminists as "detrimental" to the family. He said government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators." He described as "illogical" a 1972 Supreme Court decision legalizing the use of contraception by unmarried couples. The 93-page document, which is publicly available at the Regent University library, culminates with a 15-point action plan that McDonnell...

When a banks’ loans begin to non-perform, they begin to eat into their capital reserves. Each banks’ Board of Directors is responsible to assess their reserves and make certain that they comply with legal and accounting requirements and, of course, they are certainly free to maintain standards that are higher than minimums. The Fed tracks the banks’ Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (ALLL) and produces charts showing ALLL versus NONPERFORMING loans. A ratio of 100 would mean that all the banks in that size have ALLLs that exceed their nonperforming loans – a condition of health. The lower the...

The following is a transcript of Bill Whittle's video. It works as a standalone article, but it's really better if you watch the video in all it's Afterburnery video glory here.(8 minutes)  THE CULT OF ICONOGRAPHYI’d like to take just a few moments to talk about the power of Iconography.  If you happen to be a high-level Republican strategist, you’re probably saying, “the power of Ica-what-now?” If you’re a high-level Democratic strategist, you might be thinking, “Aw, crap! He’s onto us!” See this lovely steak dinner? Appetizing, isn’t it? Of course, if you put this in a blender and hit Puree,...

His own dad thinks he's not only a sexually perverted monster, but a murderer, too. Manuel Garrido, 87, sullenly acknowledged yesterday that he believes his son Phillip -- charged in the horrifying child abduction and rape of Jaycee Dugard -- is also the killer in a slew of unsolved cases involving prostitutes and other young women. "He was a sex addict -- that was his problem," Manuel Garrido told The Post. "I believe my son killed the prostitutes."

Nearly a third of Chicago public high school teachers say they were pressured to change grades this past school year. "You can't completely be honest in grading students, otherwise the failure rate would be off the chart." They said the squeeze was put on them to pass failing students, to give ill students a break or to help athletes.

ONTARIO — Three men were charged Saturday with second-degree reckless endangerment after shots were fired — apparently with an AK-47 — on Lake Road and Ontario Center Road. State police found shell casings from ammunition used for an AK-47 about two-tenths of a mile from Robert E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant property. But State Police Investigator Jeff Miller said no connection had been found between the gunfire and the plant.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday described information he received from the Iraqi government on the crisis with Syria as convincing, noting that he will transfer it to Damascus. At a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad, the minister called on the two sides to exchange information on the current crisis without revealing them. The minister said that he discussed with President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Vice President Adel Abdulmahdi the latest developments between Iraq and Syria. “We understood the Iraqi stance and its persuasive information and I will carry them...

If Barack Obama thought he could ride sympathy over the death of Ted Kennedy to new support for his legislative agenda, the latest Rasmussen polling will throw cold water on that hope. Overall approval for Obama has now reached 46%, with 53% disapproving. Strong disapproval now comes within five points of overall approval, almost within the margin of error: The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 30% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index...

Concluded Thursday in Jeddah, experts and specialists from the countries of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden a regional meeting to prepare a regional plan to keep the sharks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from extinction Meeting prepared by the regional body to maintain the environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, whose membership includes countries bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and take the city of Jeddah-based. He warned the Secretary General of the Professor Ziad Bin Hamza [Abu Ghararah] to the sharks in the region has been in recent decades...

Pope Benedict XVI Rome, Italy, Aug 31, 2009 / 10:02 am (CNA).- The Italian Vatican analyst Andrea Tornielli wrote this past Saturday on his blog that the recent clarifications by high-ranking Vatican officials do not refute what he stated in a column for the Italian daily Il Giornale on August 22. Tornielli had reported that Pope Benedict XVI is considering various measures to move forward with a liturgical “reform of the reform.” Both in his column and on his usually well-sourced blog, Tornielli announced on August 22 that the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, led by...

More Political Analysts Predict Pro-Life Gains in Congress in 2010 Elections by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com Editor August 31, 2009 Email RSSPrint Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Advancing a pro-abortion health care bill that could lead to rationing medical care and having a pro-abortion president who is making taxpayers fund abortions appears to come at a cost for the abortion advocates who lead Congress. More political analysts are predicting pro-life gains after the 2010 elections.As LifeNews.com already noted, top political analyst Charlie Cook already highlighted how the "situation this summer has slipped completely out of control for President Obama and congressional Democrats"...

Women in chadors are really feminist ninja warriors. Rather than allow themselves to be gawked at by male strangers, they choose to defeat the “male gaze” by hiding from it in plain view. But don’t you worry: Beneath that chador, abaya, burqa, or veil, there is a sexy courtesan wearing “Victoria Secret, elegant fashion, and skin care lotion,” just waiting for her husband to come home for a night of wild and sensuous marital lovemaking. Obviously, these are not my ideas. I am quoting from a piece by Naomi Wolf that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald a few days...

Does anyone have the link to that video of the guy explaining the importance of Obama's logo and the marketing of his ideology? I think it was on breitbart.tv, but searches there are fruitless. Thanks for your help.

Even though it is widely acknowledged that lawsuits are a major factor in the escalation of health care costs over the last few decades, no attempt to rein-in lawsuit abuse is included in the 1000+ page health care reform bill. Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean explains why. “First, the bill is already long enough,” Dean argued. “Adding even one more page would make it unreadable.” “Second, lawyers are America’s heroes,” Dean contended. “You can’t turn on TV without seeing a lawyer fighting crime, ensuring justice, or rescuing the weak. Voters wouldn’t stand for a bill scapegoating this noble...

A team of six intrepid mice are going where no rodents have gone before: The International Space Station. The small rodents are part of an Italian study investigating the effects of bone loss in space, and researchers have set the mice up in orbital style. "Basically, it's a little hotel," said Joe Delai, Discovery's payload manager, of the cages holding the space mice. "They have a room and a place to eat and sleep." That creature comfort is key, he said. After all, the little mice will be living in space for at least three months before hitching a ride...

After an August recess marked by raucous town halls, troubling polling data and widespread anecdotal evidence of a volatile electorate, the small universe of political analysts who closely follow House races is predicting moderate to heavy Democratic losses in 2010. Some of the most prominent and respected handicappers can now envision an election in which Democrats suffer double-digit losses in the House — not enough to provide the 40 seats necessary to return the GOP to power but enough to put them within striking distance. Top political analyst Charlie Cook, in a special August 20 update to subscribers, wrote that...

Bishop John M. Dougherty / Bishop Joseph F. Martino Scranton, Pa., Aug 31, 2009 / 10:32 am (CNA).- At a press conference in Scranton this morning, Bishop Joseph Martino announced that he and auxiliary bishop John Dougherty are stepping down from their posts. Bishop Martino explained that he is resigning because of "crippling physical fatigue," while Bishop Dougherty is retiring upon having reached the age limit.Last week, CNA reported that Bishop Martino, 63, would be resigning from his post in Scranton. The Vatican announced today that Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of Martino in accordance with canon 401...

Patients with suspected lung cancer could in future be breathalysed to check if they have the disease. Scientists have developed a sensor that can quickly detect lung cancer molecules on the breath. They believe the technology could lead to cheap, portable breath-test devices with the potential to save large numbers of lives by spotting cancer early. The lung cancer biomarkers were found by comparing breath samples from 40 diagnosed patients and 56 healthy individuals. From the results, the researchers identified 42 "volatile organic compounds" (VOCs) present in the breath of 83% of cancer patients but fewer than 83% of healthy...

Michael Amatrudo was bored over the rainy weekend and decided to sell an unusual item using Craigslist --his parents. "So I decided, as a spoof and as a joke, to put one of my most valuable possessions up, mom and dad," Amatrudo, of Madison, Conn. said. "I got lots of use out of these guys over the past 50 years, but it's time to move on," Amatrudo wrote in his ad. “Will consider trade for newer model, hot blonde under age 40 or an Erector Set in good condition. MUST SEE! Please email or call Michael for additional details and...