Free Republic

During the 2008 Presidential campaign Barack Obama told audiences, 'Judge me by the people with whom I surround myself.' OK, we will. And that is precisely the problem with Obama. In order to understand Barack Obama one must look beyond the official, Congressional-approved Cabinet choices to the truckload of unofficial 'czars,' 'special advisor's,' and 'officers' he has chosen to come to the White House to have direct access to him.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis Moss is defending his position after giving raises to some of his staff members, saying that their workload has grown dramatically, during a news conference held Wednesday afternoon.

Oddball 101: The 11 Wackiest College Courses of Fall 2009 Think you've heard it all about out-of-touch academics? Here are some new courses that you don't see at most schools, from the politically charged to fun classes about pop culture. Tree Climbing Image 7 of 11 August 14, 2009 At Cornell University, you can fulfill your physical education requirement by taking tree climbing for $700. "Students are excited," said Professor Mark Holton, who teaches the class. "We have never offered a tree climbing class that has not filled to capacity. We learn how to climb into large trees -- ones...

The Community Avengers challenge "the villains of bad government" in two places todayIt's a bird, it's a plane, it's Healthcare Man! Forget hand-made signs, one group of Miami residents is pulling on the Spandex in the name of universal health care. Dressed in superhero costumes, the Community Avengers (or Justicieros Comunitarios), as they call themselves, will be in two places - not at once (they're not that good) - today to challenge, according to their press release, "the villains of bad government and greedy insurance companies." The CA consists of members of the Miami Workers Center, LIFFT (Low-Income Families Fighting...

Reporting from Sacramento - California's high-speed rail commission, dominated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees, is set to award a $9-million contract today to a company led by the governor's top political advisor and his former campaign manager. The three commission staff members charged with recommending a public relations firm have advised the board to give the contract to Mercury Public Affairs at its meeting today. Schwarzenegger strategist Adam Mendelsohn is a partner at Mercury, as is Steve Schmidt, who managed the governor's 2006 reelection effort. Two members of the staff panel are former Mendelsohn colleagues. Ethics watchdogs raised questions about...

In which Gateway Pundit does the Googling that Obama refuses to do. Although honestly, at this point I think Jones’s hiring is best explained not as a breakdown in vetting but as a goof by Obama to see just how much crap the media will let him get away with. “Hey Rahm — bet you 20 bucks I can get a Truther communist appointed to an environmental oversight position.” Birthers at the town halls … and Truthers in the White House. Which has gotten more press coverage? NEW YORK CITY, NY (Oct. 26, 2004) – An alliance of 100 prominent...

The State Fair sent about 100 4-H participants home because several members contracted the H1N1 virus and about a dozen more developed flu-like symptoms.

New Delhi: Did you know that Mahatma Gandhi has been reincarnated as Van Jones, the celebrated American civil rights and environmental activist who was named Time magazine's "environmental hero" in the US in 2008? "Objective evidence that forms the basis of past life studies prove that Jones is the reincarnation of Gandhi," world's leading past life researcher and best-selling author from the US Walter Semkiw told IANS in an interview. Jones' facial bone structure and features are the same as that of Gandhi's, Mr Semkiw said. "His manners and body language are also similar to that of the Indian freedom...

A recent parolee who was in prison for nearly 30 years for a 1977 rape has been charged in connection with a sexual attack early Tuesday morning in Lincoln Park, police said today. Julius Anderson, 59, was released from Big Muddy Correctional Center on June 25, according to records from the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday after police traced a cell phone signal from a stolen phone. Anderson has been charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count...

Dallas, Texas – Finally, there is a centralized location for people to search, decipher, and discuss the myriad ways federal funds are allocated every year, and even control where their tax dollars go, line by line, as they try their hand at balancing the federal budget. Launched Sept. 3, BalanceTheBudget.com is a virtual ‘town hall’ where concerned citizens and groups can share their ideas on balancing the budget, gather for news, review resources and tutorials, blog about budget solutions, and vent fiscal frustrations. Using data provided by the Congressional Budget Office, BalanceTheBudget.com maps out the U.S. budget outlays, budget deficit,...

Allow me to bring you back. It was 1991, when the Democrats controlled the Congress and George H.W. Bush, a Republican, occupied the White House. President Bush gave an address at a D.C. junior high school that focused on the lives of young people, including drug use, study habits and a general inattention to matters of national import. And Democrats hated it. Said then-Majority Leader Dick Gephardt at the time: "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students."

Book Review: The environmental movement has cultivated a warm and fuzzy public image, but behind the smiley-face rhetoric of "sustainability" and "conservation" lies a dark agenda. The Greens aim to regulate your behavior, downsize your lifestyle, and invade the most intimate aspects of your personal life. In this stunning exposé, Steve Milloy unveils the authoritarian impulse underlying the Green crusade. Whether they're demanding that you turn down your thermostat, stop driving your car, or engage in some other senseless act of self-denial, the Greens are envisioning a grim future for you marked by endless privation. Steve Milloy is the founder...

Boy Loses Both Grandpas To Crashes In One Day 3-year-old also involved in one of the car accidents; he survives JONESTOWN, Pa. - A 3-year-old boy lost both his grandfathers on the same day in separate Pennsylvania car crashes, one of which the boy himself survived. The boy was with his 67-year-old paternal grandfather, John Kroh Sr., on Tuesday when their SUV was hit head-on by another vehicle. Kroh and another man died at the scene near Jonestown, but the boy survived. Police say the driver who hit them was drunk and will be charged with vehicular homicide.

Today the State Department announced it was cutting off aid to Honduras: The Department of State announces the termination of a broad range of assistance to the government of Honduras as a result of the coup d'etat that took place on June 28. The Secretary already had suspended assistance shortly after the coup. The Secretary of State has made the decision, consistent with U.S. legislation, recognizing the need for strong measures in light of the continued resistance to the adoption of the San Jose Accord by the de facto regime and continuing failure to restore democratic, constitutional rule to Honduras.

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices rallied on Thursday to their highest level since February on strong investment demand amid caution ahead of key U.S. non-farm payrolls data on Friday. Bill O'Neill, managing partner of New Jersey-based LOGIC Advisors, said that asset-diversification demand for gold and other precious metals by jittery investors amid shaky equities markets propelled gold's rally. Spot gold hit an intraday peak of $992.55, which marked the highest price since February 24. It was at $989.10 an ounce at 12:07 p.m. EDT, against $976.60 an ounce late in New York on Wednesday.

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   New York: Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) 2009 Firearm Civil Rights Conference   Thursday, September 03, 2009   Please join the Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) for its 2009 Firearm Civil Rights Conference. Sunday, September 13, 2009, 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. (doors open at 12:00 noon) Sheraton Long Island Hotel110 Vanderbilt Motor ParkwaySmithtown, NY (631) 231-1100(on Motor Parkway on the North side of LIE between exits 53 & 55)Special guests include Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; Ron Schmeits, NRA President; Chris Cox, Executive Director of the...

LAS VEGAS – Sue Lowden plans to step down from her position running Nevada’s Republican Party, a sign that she’s preparing to challenge Majority Leader Harry Reid in next year’s Senate race. According to two people familiar with the matter, Lowden is expected to inform state GOP activists on a conference call Wednesday night that she plans to quit the chairmanship effective Sept. 30. Doing so would allow her to jump into what could be a contested GOP primary against several other Republican candidates. A poll released by the Las Vegas Review-Journal last month said that if she escapes the...

One Flew Over the Darwinists' Nest Sean Carroll is one of those open-minded science types who are always generously offering the rest of us lectures on the importance of intellectual freedom and open inquiry--at least when the subject of discussion is buried in the annals of history. When it comes to people debating issues today, however, there are other things which must be taken into consideration. Like whether Carroll agrees with them. He is particularly upset about Bloggingheads.tv running a dialogue between John McWhorter and Intelligent Design advocate Michael Behe, a professional scientist. "Unfortunately," he says, "I won’t be appearing...

The day his brother was shot in Dallas, Ted Kennedy had to tell his father the news, and wondered who was behind it. Case Closed: Oswald and the Assassination of JFK author Gerald Posner reports.It was 12:45 in Washington D.C. on November 22, 1963. Teddy Kennedy, who had been a senator for less than a year, was presiding over the Senate, a thankless clerical job assigned to junior members. The chambers were almost deserted, but a few senators were debating a mind-numbing bill about federal library services. It was nearly time to break for lunch when the Senate’s press liaison...

1 billion shares on the tape as of 9:00 Central on the NYSE and who's responsible for over 1/4 of it? This is outrageous folks. Three zombies, one of which has no equity value and two more that exist only because the government has guaranteed, collectively, half a trillion dollars of what may be worthless assets. Not to mention all the ENRON-STYLE off balance sheet exposure that we have no means to value or come up with a reasonable understanding of. This sort of garbage "support" for market volume, put forth for the explicit purpose of propping up stock market...