Free Republic

Every president has his bête noire. For Reagan, it was Sam Donaldson. For Clinton, it was Ann Coulter. For President Obama, it’s David Limbaugh. No better book has been written compiling the evidence against a president that Limbaugh’s Crimes Against Liberty. “This book is about a young presidency,” Limbaugh opens. “[Y]oung, but already the most destructive in American history. Everything about Barack Obama’s radical background signals his visceral contempt for America – its culture, its values, and its political and economic systems. His unmistakable goal is to bring America down to size – an America that has been, in his...

[snip] But I am also troubled by Obama's efforts to hector Jones into changing his mind. Everyone should worry when presidents invoke wartime security, or similar arguments, against constitutionally protected free speech, even -- or especially -- when the speech is offensive, outrageous and unpopular. Strictly speaking, there was nothing unconstitutional about Obama's campaign, abetted by an all-star cast of national security officials, to get Jones to back off. Presidents have free speech, too. But when was the last time an American citizen got a phone call from the Secretary of Defense urging him to call off a political demonstration?...

I stumbled upon a fascinating academic article called, “The Ticket to Easy Street? The Financial Consequences of Winning the Lottery.” It was written by three economics professors, Scott Hankins from the University of Kentucky, Paige Marta Skiba from Vanderbilt University, and Mark Hoekstra from the University of Pittsburgh. The professors were not just looking to learn the habits of lottery winners. They were searching for the answer to a much larger question: “Whether a bailout will have a permanent impact or whether it will merely postpone financial pain.” In other words, does throwing money at people solve financial problems or...

Nine years after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, a new Gallup poll has been released which portends a very dangerous set of circumstances as we continue to fight the war on terror. According to the results of the poll, only 1% see terrorism as the top problem facing the United States. This is down from 46% just after the attacks. What does this say about us as a country? A number of different factors could have contributed to the results of this poll. Right now, the country is in a deep recession, despite the Obama regime telling us...

“We have a Saudi Arabia of renewable energy in our country: solar, wind, smart biofuels, geothermal,” said Jones. “We know that renewable energy jobs across the country will be coming on line with more force. That includes solar energy in the Sunbelt, wind energy production in the Plains states and off our coast, smart biofuels in the Southeast and the Midwest, and geothermal everywhere.” So said Van Jones, the former Green Economy Messiah. Jones was all sizzle and steak when it came to the so-called "green economy." He is a "visionary" who hasn't created a single job. Obama made the...

Under new changes to the ban on plastic bags in Brownsville, shoppers will be charged an extra dollar for every transaction in which they use plastic bags after the ban goes into effect. Starting January 5, the use of plastic bags will be banned inside the Brownsville city limits in effort to go green. "We want to have a beautiful city,” Commissioner Edward Camarillo said. “We want to make sure that we take care of the environment." The surcharge would be handed out by the stores.

One of the mysterious peripatetic, or roving, rocks of Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada sits at the end of a curved track in a summer 2010 picture. Found in the Racetrack—an aptly named dry lakebed, or playa—the moving rocks have stumped scientists since the 1940s. For instance, the rocks are thought to move as fast as a walking person, but they've never been seen in action. Previous studies have shown that gravity or earthquakes can't explain the objects' movements. Now a student-research project led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has lent support to the idea that,...

The favorite forecasting tool of economists and investors is to extend whatever are the current conditions and recent trends in a straight line into the future. I was reminded of that by an article in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, which began with the following; “The U.S. economy remains almost comatose . . . The current slump already ranks as the longest period of sustained weakness since the Great Depression . . . Once-in-a-lifetime dislocations . . .will take years to work out. Among them: the job drought, the debt hangover, the defense-industry contraction, the banking collapse, the real-estate depression,...

California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown announced that he has a “foolproof plan” to rescue the state from its current fiscal crisis, but can’t reveal what it is until after the election. “I can assure voters that my plan is ingenious,” Brown promised. “It will balance the budget without cutting any spending or laying-off any workers.” Brown said he can’t reveal any more details “because I don’t want anyone to steal my ideas. I’ve been burned before.” Sources close to the former Governor indicate that he is still upset that his idea for a 30-year reunion was “stolen” as the...

I'm not one of those who thinks HD is SO much better that I have to throw out my perfectly good 32 inch 4x3 tube TV. Now comes FOX with a "feature' that makes watching football virtually impossible on my TV. (except for the commercials - they're fine) They say they're giving me the "HD experience" but waht they're really giving me is a tiny, poorly computerized picture. Apparently the people who tested this thing never heard of the moree effect. This is only on FOX. The game on CBS looks just like it always did. How could the NFL...

The Associated Press reports that Iran’s Culture Ministry announced today that one of the three UC Berkeley graduates being held in Tehran will be released on Saturday. No more details were given. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal have been held in Iran since last July, when they were arrested and accused of spying. The three and their families have consistently insisted that they were on a hiking trip in northern Iraq and mistakenly wandered across the border. The U.S. State Department has been vocal in calling for the release of the three. ...

Afghan soldiers open fire as hundreds of protesters try to storm local government headquarters shouting "Death to America." Excerpted per FR posting rules.

Q: Our daughter has turned her back on everything we ever taught her, and it's breaking our hearts. Now she's moved in with a man who's only taking advantage of her (for example, she has a job, and he won't get one). She'll barely even talk to us. What did we do wrong? - Mrs. N.Y. A: No parent is perfect; we all can look back and think of things we could've done to help our children be better prepared for adulthood. And sometimes it's best to admit it to them and encourage them to learn from our mistakes. But...

After a Year of Setbacks, U.N. Looks to Take Charge of World’s AgendaThe World: It's part of the United NationsFoxnewsIt’s a story that just begs to be translated into English. It’s just another naked grab for power  disguised as a helping hand.  We come in peace, we’d like to run your country.The UN bureaucrats that no one elected, want to decide what happens to everyone everywhere in the world. They want p o w e r and control (I’m shocked I tell you!) After a year of humiliating setbacks, United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon and about 60 of his...

The Dove World Outreach Center, a non-denominational church in Gainesville, Florida, announced in July that it would host a Qur'an burning event on its church property in observance of the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks "to warn Americans about the dangers of Islam." While the church's pastor, Terry Jones, may not burn Qur'ans after all, Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps is promising to do so if Jones is a "sissy" and doesn't. Also, another character is promising to burn Qur'ans on the Wyoming Capitol steps. (The crazy meter is spiking!) So, I have in my right hand, direct from...

Federal tax policies lie at the core of ongoing arguments between the two major political parties. Unfortunately, this debate focuses on only one issue, marginal tax rates for individual income taxes. It ignores the equally important issues of what should go into the "tax base" and what loopholes should be allowed. It is too bad we have forgotten the experience of the Reagan era, when all of these issues were on the table. But no elected officials seem to have the leadership ability or political courage to broaden the debate. The Reagan administration brought about the most fundamental changes in...

Modern military wives typically don't ship out alongside their husbands, but the young wife of a British naval officer did just that during the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century. Now a historian who tracked down 40 unpublished volumes of her diaries has gotten the go-ahead to write a book investigating her life. Elizabeth "Betsey" Wynne accompanied her husband aboard his warship during a disastrous British assault on the Spanish Canary Islands. She spent the voyage home-nursing the wounded Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson, whom lost his right arm during the attack and would go on to become one of England's greatest...

Hilarious Cartoon!

YOU’RE INVITED TO AN HISTORIC WORSHIP SERVICE AND CELEBRATION! All are welcome to join the Celebration! ELCA Rite of Reception to the clergy roster of the ELCA for Pastors Anita Hill, Ruth Frost, Phyllis Zillhart will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2:00 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 285 N Dale St., St Paul, Minnesota. Party after the service at the church. The Reverend Peter Rogness, Bishop, Saint Paul Area Synod of the ELCA, presiding. The Reverend Barbara Lundblad, Union Theological Seminary, New York, preaching. Clergy and rostered leaders are welcome to vest and process. Green is the...

For a glimpse of how venomous and debased the discourse about Islam has become, consider a blog post in The New Republic this month. Written by Martin Peretz, the magazine’s editor in chief, it asserted: “Frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims.” Mr. Peretz added: “I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment, which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.” Thus a prominent American commentator, in a magazine long associated with tolerance, ponders whether Muslims should be afforded constitutional freedoms....