Free Republic

Well, it happened. Or, rather it happened and was reported, which is something else again. I will wager it has already happened, unnoticed, unrecorded, totally ignored. But on this occasion, there was someone to witness it, write it down and publish it. I refer to death by rules of engagement. Specifically, the deaths of four U.S. Marines seemingly by the new rules of engagement (ROE) in Afghanistan. They took place on Tuesday in an ambush against Afghan forces and their U.S. trainers around the village of Ganjgal. There, journalist Jonathan S. Landay of McClatchey Newspapers lived through the deadly firefight...

"(Harry) Reid has historically suffered from lackluster poll numbers in his state, and he may have hurt them further in the past few months by promoting a Democratic agenda that runs counter to the libertarian mindset of many Nevadans, say experts." - Washington Examiner, 8/29/09 "Reid today is losing by double digits to a twice-failed candidate for office who's the son of the former University of Nevada Las Vegas basketball coach, and he's losing by 5 points to a former Republican state assemblywoman who's the Republican state chairman...Harry Reid's numbers are dreadful, abysmal...These are much worse than Tom Daschle had...

The Democrats and their press allies have decided to make Representative Joe Wilson's interjection--"You lie!"--the main story of last night's speech by President Obama on health care. Today at an airport gate, I was subjected to a half hour or so of CNN's coverage of the Joe Wilson story. Little or nothing was said about the speech itself. Wilson's remark is being treated as something unprecedented and of historic significance, as in this breathless Politico article: All eyes were on President Barack Obama entering Wednesday night's address to Congress, but a little-known South Carolina Republican may have done more than...

DE Libertarian's Steve Newton thinks you're an idiot if, as a parent, you withdraw your kid from class (or school) for the day when President Obama speaks to kids on Sept. 8. While I tend to agree that it would be an overreaction to take your kid out of class/school merely for the speech (I wouldn't use the term "idiot" in this case), as I noted in the comments in Steve's post the bigger concern was over the federal Dept. of Education's proposed lesson plans (since scrubbed from its website) dealing with Obama's address -- some of which forced students...

For the environmental movement, Jones' resignation is a setback. One can only hope that his unwelcome celebrity of the past week will have the positive side effect of galvanizing support for his work; that it will call attention to urban poverty, pollution and his ideal of a green economy. To the extent Jones' agenda succeeds, it will benefit all of us. Even the polar bears.

While most other states are cutting services and laying off workers, Alaska is preparing to send dividend checks to about 657,000 of its citizens, who have their former governor and the state constitution to thank. United Press International reports: ANCHORAGE, Ala., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Citizens qualified to receive dividends from Alaska's Permanent Fund will receive dividends of more than $1,300 this autumn, state officials said. The Anchorage Daily News reported that even though the $32 billion oil profits savings account lost $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year, the five-year dividend program will temper the effect of the losses...

Obama and the White House are looking the other way as Lautenberg seeks to ban guns from 1,000,000 US citizens on a secret FBI terrorist watch list. Obama has deliberately and repeatedly lied to America's 90 million gun owners across the country when he insisted that he would not try to take away anyone's firearms. Now Obama's silence endorses Lautenberg's latest attempt at banning guns. Lautenberg has now introduced bill S. 1317 that would give the attorney general the discretion to block gun sales to people on terror watch lists. We must defeat this bill from giving extraordinary powers to...

Eight years ago today, our homeland was attacked by fanatical Muslims inspired by Saudi Arabian bigotry. Three thousand American citizens and residents died. We resolved that we, the People, would never forget. Then we forgot. We've learned nothing. Instead of cracking down on Islamist extremism, we've excused it

[None - graphic only]

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek is holding a town hall meeting in Hallandale Beach on Saturday to discuss proposals to overhaul the health care system. Meek, a Miami Democrat, represents part of South Broward. He's also running for his party's nomination for U.S. Senate next year. His office is billing the town hall as "an opportunity for constituents to voice their concerns, comments and questions regarding health care reform legislation proposals being debated and drafted by Congress. Audience members will have the opportunity during the Town Hall to ask Congressman Meek specific questions about the health care debate." Details: Health Care...

Here is audio of Mark Levin talking with South Carolina GOP Rep. Joe Wilson yesterday about Obama's Health Care Speech and Wilson's "You Lie" outburst in the House chamber. Levin commended Wilson for speaking out, and said if he had not done what he did, "no one would have been listening." Wilson said he was incredibly frustrated sitting there and listening to what he knew was not accurate. He also said he has been inspired by the Town Hall Meetings around the country. Levin asked Wilson if either Obama or Pelosi has "invited Wilson to have a civil discussion" on...

Our National 9/11 Schizophrenia The great debate over 9/11 and the American response — is it coming to an end? By Victor Davis Hanson Ninety-six months ago, 19 Islamic terrorists — led by Mohamed Atta, organized by Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and ordered by Osama bin Laden — hijacked four American airliners. They destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon, and murdered 2,974 people. The al-Qaeda–planned attack was the most lethal on the American homeland in our history. In response, the United States quickly attacked and removed the Taliban government that had offered sanctuary to the killers. About 15 months...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The job market is showing signs of improvement, according to the latest economic reports. But for those out of work and pounding the pavement, there are few signs of a turnaround. After peaking in January, the pace of job losses has slowed dramatically, according to the Labor Department. Employers cut 216,000 jobs from their payrolls in August -- 22% fewer than the previous month. But even though job cuts have abated, hiring is close to a standstill, as most employers are still hesitant to add workers. The number of new hires remains near an all-time low,...

It appears as if ACORN is not just into soup kitchens, daycare, voter fraud and town hall intimidation; they will also help a young wannabe Madame jumpstart a whorehouse. ShamWow, folks! Community organizing, indeed! I mean . . . what community is complete and feels truly organized without some hookers in the hood? God bless 'em. It brings a tear to your eye, now doesn't it? Hope and change, folks. Hope and change. Just imagine how tricky it must be for a young adult to get her dream of selling sex off the ground during an economic recession in a...

On 9/11/09, my son had just started his third year in a Manhattan high school. Although about a mile north of Ground Zero, he saw the thin coating of ash covering the cars, and he inhaled the stench of burning buildings and suffering humanity. It took a long time to get home to the northern suburbs that night, but as we finally sat at dinner, not knowing what to expect next, I asked him if this had changed his plan to attend the US Naval Academy. He replied that, had he not been too young, that he would already have...

UNITED NATIONS — Human trafficking is likely to escalate because the global economic crisis has fueled its major causes — poverty, youth unemployment, gender inequality and the demand for cheap labor, the U.N. investigator on trafficking said Thursday. In a report to the General Assembly, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo expressed concern that trafficking "continues to thrive" because these root causes are not being sufficiently addressed and "potential victims become more desperate to escape their unfavorable situations." Ezeilo, a human rights lawyer and professor at the University of Nigeria who was appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council job in August 2008,...

Eight years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. is still in "terrible shape" in the fight against terrorism, former CIA counterterrorism expert Michael Scheuer tells Newsmax. Scheuer also said President Barack Obama "doesn't have a clue" about the realities of world terrorism. Scheuer, whose latest book is "Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq," spent several years as head of the CIA's Osama bin Laden unit. snip "My dad used to say, beware of men who like to show off in front of children. And I think the president's discussion with schoolchildren [on Tuesday] is a good...

KENOSHA -- A jewelry store owner who was faced with a man trying to rob him at gunpoint reached for his own gun and shot the suspect Wednesday. The suspect is believed to be from Zion. Kenosha Police Department officials said that two men with partially concealed faces entered the Jewelry Exchange at 2400 52nd St. around 12:30 p.m. and confronted the 55-year-old owner. Police said one suspect pointed a handgun at the owner, but the owner drew his own handgun from under the desk where he was sitting and shot the suspect once in the chest. The two men...

During Wednesday's speech, Obama said, "...in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick." Now, a statement like that should ring alarm bells. Because if you're really sick -- too sick to work, for example, and sick for a long time -- then even with free healthcare a prolonged disability will easily leave you bankrupt. All of this makes me question the benefits of guaranteeing that nobody be bankrupted by medical costs. In particular, I'm reminded of free-market economist Friedrich Hayek, and what he called "absolute security." You see, Hayek was not opposed to...

Before he abruptly exited the White House last weekend, former green jobs czar Van Jones used his government position to help Obama's administration cynically green-wash the meaning of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Specifically, Mr. Jones helped lead an Obama-approved effort to reshape America's collective memory of the Sept. 11 atrocities. Eager to keep Mr. Jones in the vanguard of radical change, John Podesta's Center for American Progress reportedly offered Mr. Jones office space earlier this weekto help him get back on his feet. This attempt to re-brand the horrors of Sept. 11 is part of the effort to...