Free Republic

Hugo Chávez ‘evil axis’ tour: Looking for love in all the wrong places? The Venezuelan leader gave Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi a warm hug yesterday during his 11-day tour to Russia, Belarus, Syria, Algeria, Libya, and Iran. By Matthew Clark | Staff writer 09.02.09 It’s like that old country song: “Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places. Lookin’ for love.” (Or as Eddie Murphy would say in his classic SNL skit, “wookin pa nub.”) That’s what Venezuelan firebrand Hugo Chávez appears to be doing this week on an 11-day trip that trip takes him to Russia, Belarus, Syria, Algeria,...

An advice column on one web site corrected noted that dogs which are spayed and neutered live healthier lives. They are less prone to cancers and tend to be less aggressive and destructive, according to my vet who has not yet notified my 9 month old puppies. No plant or bug is safe in our yard, and I think my little princess, (the sister of the siblings) is contemplating avian vittles. She drools a little too much when she stares at the birds caring for their young in their nests. As I read this, my first thought was DON'T TELL...

Tensions Rise Over Georgia's Sea Blockade Of Abkhazia September 02, 2009 (RFE/RL) -- The leader of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia has threatened to destroy any Georgian ship entering Abkhazia's "territorial waters." "I issued an order to our navy to destroy Georgian ships violating Abkhazia's sea border," Sergei Bagapsh told Interfax. "This step has been motivated by unending acts of piracy by Georgia." It is the strongest threat to date from Bagapsh in an escalating war of words over Tbilisi's efforts to impose a sea blockade on the territory. The blockade was imposed after the Russia-Georgia war one year ago....

Mr. Parkus said that vacancy increases and rent declines already mirrored what happened in the 1990s, and until new jobs were created, generating an increase in demand for commercial space and more retail spending, this was not likely to be reversed. Building values have declined by as much as 50 percent around the country, and even more in Manhattan, where prices soared the highest. As many as 65 percent of commercial mortgages maturing over the next few years are unlikely to qualify for refinancing because of the drop in values and new stricter underwriting standards, he said.

Here is video of Dave Ramsey talking with Neil Cavuto about millionaires fleeing Maryland because of high taxes and how Maryland tax revenues are actually down after hiking taxes on the rich. (Watch Video)

Unlike a prudential concern like national defense, for which government monopolization is objectively good—it both limits violence overall and prevents the obvious abuses to which private armies are susceptible—health care should not be subject to federal monopolization. Preserving patient choice (through a flourishing private sector) is the only way to prevent a health care monopoly from denying care arbitrarily, as we learned from HMOs in the recent past. While a government monopoly would not be motivated by profit, it would be motivated by such bureaucratic standards as quotas and defined "best procedures," which are equally beyond the influence of most...

But housing boosters have forecast turnarounds repeatedly since the market peaked in 2006, only to be proved wrong by plunging prices. And skeptics say they're wrong again now. They argue that a deeply indebted consumer, a weak job market, expiring incentives and rising foreclosures spell a quick end to any housing rebound. "We're entering the phase where the homeowner has to earn his way out of this mess," said Mark Hanson, who runs a California real estate research firm. "This summer is shaping up as the gateway into the next move down."

n a year that has been marked by political stupidity of many kinds, this one takes the cake. Obamacare supporters have started a chorus of calling those opposed to the measure “racists.” Let me get this straight: independents who voted for America’s first black President but who oppose his health care plan are racists?!?

Help us out here in MA, we need all we can get! Freep the poll about half way down on the right hand side of the page about whether Joe Kennedy should run for his uncle's seat. Thanks in advance!

UN chief Ban Ki-moon visited Wednesday a vault carved into the Arctic permafrost, filled with samples of the world's most important seeds in case food crops are wiped out by a catastrophe. "The world faces many daunting challenges today, one of the greatest of which is how to feed a growing population in the context of climate change," a bundled-up Ban told reporters after he toured the site in the Svalbard archipelago some 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the North Pole. "The seeds stored here in Svalbard will help us do just that. Sustainable food production may not begin in...

The OECD is combatting Tax Havens according to this report and a meeting of cooperating countries in Mexico City. If the link doesn't get to this video, you need to search for "OECD Taking on Tax Havens". http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1236539937&play=1

In case you missed it, Mark Steyn delivered a brilliant monologue at the beginning of the second hour of the Rush Limbaugh Show today (he was subbing while Rush is on vacation). The essence of which was that the leftist (and mainstream media) arguments that Teddy Kennedy's sins should be forgiven because he did so much for the common man was, essentially, a monarchical argument with no place in American society. (more)

White South African Claiming Racist ‘Persecution’ Is Granted Asylum in Canada By Robert Mackey South Africa plans to ask Canada to review a ruling last week by an immigration board in Ottawa granting asylum to a white South African carnival worker who claimed that he was forced to flee his homeland after being attacked seven times because of the color of his skin. As The Ottawa Sun reported on Friday: A Canadian immigration and refugee board panel ruled Thursday that Brandon Huntley, 31, could stay in Canada because he presented “clear and convincing proof of the state’s inability or unwillingness...

Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading doctors warn today. In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, a group of experts who care for the terminally ill claim that some patients are being wrongly judged as close to death. Under NHS guidance introduced across England to help doctors and medical staff deal with dying patients, they can then have fluid and drugs withdrawn and many are put on continuous sedation until they pass away. But this approach can also mask the signs that their condition is improving,...

An electric lollipop that allows the blind to 'see' using their tongue has been developed by scientists. The extraordinary device converts images captured by a tiny camera into a series of electrical tingles, which can be felt on the tongue. Nerves then send these messages to the brain, which turn the tingles back into pictures.

Most Americans have a lot riding on the success of the government's efforts to pull the U.S. economy out of its ditch: individual investors, bankers, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Democratic politicians, and taxpayers. A somewhat smaller group has a lot riding on the failure of these efforts. I'm not simply talking about investors who are betting against the markets and who believe the recent stock-market rally is overdone. I'm talking about the Failure Caucus, a group spanning the political spectrum that has invested reputations, egos, and, in some instances, their political futures on the notion that we're in for...

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Zb0EVKOkY "GREEN JOBS NOT JAILS - The Third Wave of Environmentalism" Video Description - Quote: eon3 January 19, 2008 Van Jones, Founder/Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights ( http://ellabakercenter.org/ ) talks about his compelling moral vision for California to abandon its 'incarceration economy' for an 'innovation economy' and do an ecolgical U-turn on the four wheels of labor, progressive business, environmentalism and social justice. As he puts it, "a rainbow city in a rainbow state in a rainbow country leading the way to a rainbow planet." Category: Education Tags: van jones ella baker center for human...

Arne Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American education administrator and currently United States Secretary of Education. Duncan had previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. He wants to bring change to America's schools, and he’s armed with $100 billion in stimulus money from his friend, President Barack Obama, more than twice the budget of any of his predecessors. Although he is white, Duncan's spoken accent led at least one college basketball coach to assume that he was of African-American descent. His senior thesis, for which he took a year's leave to do research in Kenwood, in...

A new report from the AFL-CIO shows some stunning statistics about young workers. * More than one in three young workers say they are currently living at home with their parents. * 31 percent of young workers reports being uninsured, up from 24 percent without health insurance coverage 10 years ago. * One-third of young workers cannot pay the bills and seven in 10 do not have enough saved to cover two months of living expenses. And perhaps the most telling finding: When asked who is most responsible for the country's economic woes, close to 60 percent of young workers...

Dear Defender of Liberty, I would like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Debra Medina. I have known Debra for over ten years and have always been impressed by her drive and commitment to principle. Debra has been a real defender of Liberty both in her home town of Wharton and across the state of Texas. Debra has for years been a key supporter and member of my campaign team. As chairman of the Wharton County Republican Party, she has stood up to the big government establishment and fought to hold our party accountable to our platform...