Free Republic

Yes, I have my lunatic moments but you people really should be paying more attention to the lucid ones when they pop up. My entire political philosophy is based upon skepticism that a federal bureaucracy can't do much, if anything, well. The genesis of my opposition to President Obama has been the same since he became the front-runner in the campaign last year: most of what he proposes in the way of policy is predicated upon an efficient implementation and administration of programs by the federal government. This, in my less-than-humble opinion, is sheer fantasy. Tolkien couldn't have imagined a...

The Mane Man By Gina Mazza On this sunny So-Cal day, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu graciously postpones his morning workout to ruminate about not just football - but life and what's most important in it. I narrow our chat to three topics. Football is a given: How was this year's Super Bowl experience versus XL? Tomlin versus Cowher? Goals for the coming season? Fatherhood is new in Polamalu's life since the birth of his son, Paisios, named after a beloved contemporary Greek Orthodox monastic, Elder Paisios, on Oct. 31, 2008. Has daddy-dom been life-changing? Will he encourage his son...

WAKE UP AMERICA, GET OUT OF THE FETAL POSITION AND MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD. Welcome to the GLENN BECK television thread...Shake the cobwebs out of your brain...We are another day closer to the REVOLUTION! All comrades, infidels, sick twisted freaks and lurkers are welcome and are encouraged to participate in the thread!

This is a phenominal video. Would not have believed it unless I had seen it. Makes me want to take a trip over there and spend some time with these old boys to experience it in person. HUNTING WOLVES WITH GOLDEN EAGLES IN MONGOLIA Big birds those. Wouldn't want a couple of those sic'ed on me I will tell you. Look at the size of those talons. Looks like in many cases they go after the throat and then hold them there...and in a couple of cases when it looked like the wolf might get the upper hand...another Eagle quickly...

photos at link

Illinois' ongoing budget crisis and proposed income tax increases are taking a back seat as the "old" political habits of Illinois politicians re-emerge. According to statements made following a meeting with legislative leaders, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said that a proposed Illinois tax increase will not be taken up until after the February 2nd primaries. As a result, the State's budget will remain unconstitutionally unbalanced and the budgets of social services organizations relying upon state funds will remain in limbo. The Governor's decision to delay debate over a proposed income tax hike stems from two likely, yet purely political motives:...

I was fighting traffic on my way in to work today, when I heard a headline on the radio, something to the effect of, "Good news on the housing front! Foreclosures are moderating, potentially signaling an end to the housing crisis." This is why people don't trust the news. Headlines.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Al-Qaeda has staged the majority of violent attacks in Iraq since the end of June, when US troops withdrew from the country's cities, a top US officer said on Thursday. "In the period that we're looking at right now, post-30 June, I consider most of the attacks, the high-profile attacks that you are seeing and that are getting the publicity, are Al-Qaeda attacks," General Charles Jacoby, the number two ranking US officer in Iraq, told reporters via video link. The general spoke after at least 22 people were killed and 45 wounded on Thursday when a suicide...

Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina is in big trouble this morning. The Rahmster is out for him. That makes Joe Wilson Illinois Review's hero of the day. Last night, Wilson had the courage to call Barack Obama what he is: a liar. Within moments of Obama referring to "prominent politician" Sarah Palin as lying about the "end-of-life-counseling" included in the House's health care bill, Congressman Wilson couldn't let Obama get away with purposely misleading the American people about the Democrats' plan. Wilson spontaneously shouted out "You lie!" during Obama's nationally-televised string of outright deceptions: (VIDEO AT LINK) Immediately after...

Here is video of NASA testing "the new first-stage solid rocket motor for the Ares I rocket. The static firing of the five-segment solid motor, designated development motor -1 was conducted at the ATK test facility in Promontory, Utah." The video says it has "22 million horsepower." Quite an amazing display of power. . . . (VIDEO)

palin was attacked by the white house and politico fails to show her response. Email Ben Smith, and DEMAND her response to be posted. bsmith@politico.com

The FBI since the September 11 attacks has forged ties with a number of Muslim groups linked to a secretive organization that calls for the methodical takeover of the United States. HUMAN EVENTS has obtained an eight-page memo written by Washington Field Office officials which celebrates the way the FBI, whose mission is law enforcement, has created these "partnerships." Critics, some within the FBI, say the bureau is increasing the statue of groups whose long-term ideological goal is to bring Islamic law to America through jihad, or struggle. A former agent told HUMAN EVENTS the bureau is dealing with the...

Events were not supposed to have turned out this way: Stalin is making a comeback in Russia, the Chinese Communist Party controls capitalism in China, Venezuela — once a friend of the United States — is now a neo-Marxist state, and Latin America itself is dominated by communist or far left regimes. When the Berlin Wall was destroyed by jubilant West Berlin youth, the nightmare was believed to be over. The communist true believers, however, are again a threat to humanity — even within the U.S. government. It is a story gets little coverage in the centralized media. Instead of...

Apparently one of the three Swedish men who were caught in Pakistan last week, is according to information received by SvT Rapport, Mehdi Ghezali, who for several years was kept imprisoned on the Guantanamo base. According to Pakistani authorities the Swedes were apprehended together with seven Turks and and one Russian, and are suspected of collaboration with al-Qaida. According to informants the prisoners have been transferred to Islamabad. The 30 year old Mehdi Ghezali was caught near the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan in December 2001, and was shortly thereafter handed over to the US military. He was released from...

GREER, S.C. -- Police in South Carolina say a man is recovering in a Georgia burn center after he chased a rabbit into a power station and was shocked with thousands of volts of electricity. Hospital spokeswoman Olena Scarboro said Thursday that Joseph Asher of Greenville is in critical condition at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga. Asher had been listed as a missing person before he walked into a Greer hospital nude and covered with burns. He was later transferred to the Georgia center.

With the entire Beatles back catalogue now available in digitally remastered form, not to mention their appearance in the latest version of Rock Band, Tom Townshend takes an in-depth look at a crucial moment in their musical development - the day they met Bob Dylan… When future generations look back on the music of the twentieth century, two names will loom larger than all others. In the British corner, The Beatles will represent musical innovation, melodic sophistication and the phenomena of global pop fame. In the American corner, Bob Dylan will stand for lyrical mastery, stylistic reinvention and unprecedented artistic...

Conservatives celebrate No. 1 book By PATRICK GAVIN | 9/10/09 3:48 PM EDT Wednesday night at Morton's, Michelle Malkin — and those who love her — celebrated her new book. Consider it a "Who's Who" of the conservative movement in Washington. Attendees included: Pat Sajak, Mary Matalin, Tony Blankley, Mary Katharine Ham, Matt Latimer, Pat Buchanan, Bill Kristol. Malkin, wearing a grey-short sleeved dress with taupe pumps, made some brief remarks, which included some jabs at the women on "The View" for their critiques of her book, and thanked her husband, Jesse, who made one of his very infrequent "DC...

The ladies on ABC’s The View were unanimous on Thursday: the Republicans were rude to President Obama. Sitting in Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s chair was Meghan McCain, who said Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout "makes all Republicans look bad." Joy Behar said the Republicans were "pretty disgraceful," Sherri Shepherd boasted she "stayed up all night," pestering Wilson’s office for an apology, and Whoopi Goldberg said it was "incredibly disrespectful," just like opponents of the president’s "State of the Child address" to schools. Barbara Walters was milder, decrying how Obama should be met across the aisle, a nonpartisan peacemaker pleading like a political version...

Here is video of South Carolina GOP Rep. Joe Wilson speaking to the press today about his shouting "You Lie" at President Obama last night during Obama's Health Care Speech to Congress. Wilson indicates he called the White House and apologized, and said the White House told him they needed to have a civil discussion on the issues. Wilson then explained he did what he did in the heat of the moment: "It was spontaneous." He also explained he was particularly upset by the fact Democrats had twice defeated amendments to legislation that would have barred illegal immigrants from being...

In the tales about vampires, it was learned how they create the "undead" and how they can be eliminated by a stake through the heart. It would appear that in the case of Sarah Palin, the passionate left has created an undead; she keeps coming back. In Gail Collins' column, "Levi's very public revenge," she continues to sink her fangs into her constant target by using tacky images of an individual and a family situation. But, know what? She describes people and situations we meet and know every day. The fine family nonachievers who flunk out of school, the ones...