Free Republic

The Associated Press is reporting that Democratic lawmakers are having trouble adding any of Obama’s prescriptions for the nation’s healthcare troubles after the president’s speech delivered before a joint session of Congress last week. Not only are they having troubles adding Obama’s ideas at this late date, some Congressmen are even saying it is impossible to do so. Many have no desire to do so. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D, NY), for instance, is saying that hitting the $900 billion funding target is “very difficult,” because keeping the tab that low would reduce coverage for “poor and working people.” Other Democrats...

Senator Baucus introduced the Senate version of Health Care Reform this morning, claiming that the so called "compromise" bill eliminates the public option and provides a platform for bipartisan support. Despite the language or provisions contained in the bill, the fact remains that the Senate version is meaningless and should not be considered for passage until the House of Representatives changes HR3200 and presents a bill that does not contain a public option or similar programming. The passage of a Senate bill while leaving the House bill unchanged will result in the re-introduction of the public option in a final...

Fresh Fossil Feather Nanostructures by Brian Thomas, M.S.* Bird feathers can contain pigmentation for a wide range of colors, with specific molecules reflecting certain hues when light touches them. They also can display “structural” colors, where the thicknesses of layers of cells and connective tissues are fine-tuned to refract certain colors. Scientists recently described structural coloration that is still clearly discernible in well-preserved fossil feathers. Why do these fossil feathers have their original cell structures laid out in the original patterns if they are millions of years old?In 1995, paleontologists Derek Briggs and Paul Davis provided an overview of fossil...

For those who have a hard time reading between the lines, here's a list of what Teabagger signs say followed by what they really mean There are more

Rush Limbaugh, who calls himself the man the mainstream media "love to hate," would have created a stir last week – if the media had actually taken notice. Arbitron’s “Portable People Meter” (PPM) ratings for August show that Limbaugh experienced record ratings in a number of major American radio markets.

TEL AVIV/GAZA, September 16 (RIA Novosti) - The White House Mideast envoy completed on Wednesday a regular round of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with no visible signs of progress on the issue of Jewish settlements. George Mitchell will meet with Netanyahu again on Friday to look for ways of resolving the problem of Jewish outpost construction in the West Bank, the main obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. "They agreed to continue the discussion at a meeting to take place Friday after Senator Mitchell returns to Israel from a tour of the region's countries," the Israeli prime minister's...

You know there has to be something wrong when even the loopy Democrat Senator Rockefeller opposes the "Baucus" health bill , calling it "dangerous" ...a lot of middle class workers, like the coal miners in his state, will end up facing "a big, big tax" under the Baucus bill because they currently enjoy generous employer-provided health care benefits which they receive tax free. Referring to Baucus, Rockefeller said, "He should understand that (his proposal) means that virtually every single coal miner is going to have a big, big tax put on them because the tax will be put on the...

Norman Borlaug arguably the greatest American of the 20th century died late Saturday after 95 richly accomplished years. The very personification of human goodness, Borlaug saved more lives than anyone who has ever lived. He was America's Albert Schweitzer: a brilliant man who forsook privilege and riches in order to help the dispossessed of distant lands. That this great man and benefactor to humanity died little-known in his own country speaks volumes about the superficiality of modern American culture. Born in 1914 in rural Cresco, Iowa, where he was educated in a one-room schoolhouse, Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize...

On 9/11, the outrage and fear we felt was matched with an equally intense determination to do something. Some signed up for the military, others did acts of charity, and others contributed to the sense of unity and patriotism we all enjoyed basking in but have since long lost. Yet we still haven’t been given such instructions. We were just told to go shopping, an essential act to get the economy going again after the attacks, but one that left us feeling unfulfilled and unrecognized as the valuable assets in the war on terror that we are. As we pass...

"There is no recovery only a cover-up!"

Woman Says Zoo Elephant Threw Stone at Her SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 05:42 Police yesterday said they are probing whether an elephant at the zoo inside Children’s Grand Park in Seoul threw a stone at a woman. The Gwangjin Ward Police Station said, “A woman surnamed Kim reported to police that she was hit by a stone thrown by an elephant.” Kim was taking a walk in the quiet zoo around 9:30 a.m. Monday. She told The Dong-A Ilbo, “The elephant (Taesani) was picking up a stone with its trunk. I was really impressed that it really used its trunk to...

I'm looking at my electrical bill and was wondering if it might be worthwhile for me to investigate either solar or natural gas co-generation systems to reduce the monthly bill. Are there any freepers who have walked this path and can give advice? I live in Colorado where NG is locally produced and relatively cheap and I get 6 hrs of sunlight per day on average.

Baucus' proposal would require all Americans to get insurance, but it does not include a public option. Key Republicans reject the plan. Amid fresh signs of tensions among Democrats over healthcare, a leading senator today released the last major proposal that Congress will consider as it attempts to refashion the American healthcare system, a $856-billion bill that includes a mix of sweeping new insurance regulations but no new government insurance plan. The legislation from Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) fell short of his goal of charting a legislative course that could bring Republicans and Democrats together for the most ambitious overhaul...

American convert to Islam Abu Mansour, an Al Qaeda linked Islamic terrorist leader in Somalia, has made another video. In it he preaches about martyrdom and striking terror into the hearts of the enemy.

September 16, 2009, 4:00 a.m. Grading TeachersWe must distinguish between effective and ineffective teachers. By Marcus A. Winters In 2007, only 57 percent of fourth graders in New York City and 44 percent of fourth graders in Chicago could claim even basic literacy according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Yet, in the same year, less than 2 percent of New York’s teachers and less than 1 percent of Chicago’s teachers were deemed “unsatisfactory” in their official evaluations. Clearly, something is missing here. Current public-school evaluation systems do not distinguish between effective and ineffective teachers. We can dramatically...

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), informs Congress that there will be hearings to audit the Federal Reserve and why he supports them.

As Congress returns to work, the debate on health care reform surely will focus on the political, technical and economic repercussions of various proposals. What cannot get lost in this debate, however, are the moral implications. Health care is about life and death, who can take their children to the doctor and who cannot, who can afford decent medical coverage and who is left to fend for themselves. Because health care reform has real consequences -- literally life and death -- decisions must be evaluated through a prism of fundamental ethical principles to see how they will impact the dignity...

"Do you think there'll be porta-potties?" Was the anxious question my husband asked. He's in his fifties, after all. He asked about restroom facilities several days before we left for DC, and enjoined me to "find out on the internet" because he thinks I can find out anything on the internet. It was from the various conservative blogs and forums that I haunt on the net that had inspired me to put together this trip to DC in the first place. Like most tea-partiers, I am only loosely affiliated with any of the organizers. I was anxious about restrooms, too,...

The Joe Wilson controversy has made me do some soul searching. After examining the 6,000+ posts written over the past few years and conducted some deep self-reflection, there is just one conclusion, the Liberals are Correct..I AM a racist !

In my capacity as a citizen of Illinois, I took it upon myself to contact both Roland Burris and Dick Durbin to see why they voted to continue to fund ACORN. Senator Burris has a press release but it's not available on line. I may receive an email in a bit and then I will post it. The basic idea of the release is this. Senator Burris is deeply troubled by the allegations. He believes that there needs to be strict oversight over the group. He also believes the group should not be defined by a few "bad apples". ACORN...