Free Republic

Let’s get one thing straight: the Chicago Teachers Union strike isn’t about what’s best for kids, no matter how much unionists insist it is. It is ultimately about bruised egos, and staying unaccountable. That reality is made clear by the regular refrain of Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, of which the CTU is an affiliate. As she wrote in this morning’s USA Today, “no one wants to strike … this strike comes on the heels of numerous steps that left teachers feeling disrespected.” That teachers have been the victims of brutal dissing has been the...

Pray For the Salvation of America My fellow Freepers, It is a very serious time in our nation's history and our future looks very uncertain and every day the news is full of stories that cause us to fear as it looks like we are teetering towards the edge of a cliff. It is quite obvious to even the casual observer that our great country is under a tremendous spiritual assault by the forces of darkness and hell that is causing great distress to many across this land and in other free nations. This is largely our own fault as...

What does it mean to say that 46.2 million Americans live in “poverty”? Yesterday morning, the U.S. Bureau of the Census released its annual report on income and poverty, saying that some 46.2 million Americans –15 percent of the population — were poor in 2011. The poverty rate did not fall from the prior year but remained at a near record high, the agency said. The rise in poverty from 36.4 million in 2006 to 46.2 million in 2011 was due initially to the recession and now to the failure of the Obama administration to restore jobs in the economy....

For all the harrowing images of the deadly attack on the American mission in Benghazi, the Obama administration is grappling with the possibility that its far bigger long-term problem lies in Egypt, not Libya. Hours before the attacks in Benghazi on Tuesday, the American Embassy in Cairo came under siege from protesters. While the violence there did not result in any American deaths, the tepid response from the Egyptian government to the assault gave officials in Washington — already troubled by the direction of President Mohamed Morsi’s new Islamist government — further cause for concern. President Obama telephoned Mr. Morsi...

WASHINGTON -- Nuts. The Democratic National Convention is over. Watching Bill Clinton, Jean-François Kerry, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and all the other preposterosities -- not least being the widely under-depreciated Sandra Fluck -- I fell under a spell. I thought the convention would go on forever. There would be no need for horror movies, action movies, X-Treme sports, cockfights, or soap operas. I could enjoy them all in the comfort of my own home. All provided by the Democratic National Committee, safely watched over by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and probably select units of the North Carolina National Guard. Yet...

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has appointed members of the Muslim Brotherhood as provincial governors, moves seen as part of a drive to purge loyalists of ousted Hosni Mubarak from state bodies and strengthen support for the new Islamic leader. The president's office announced on Tuesday that it had picked 10 new governors, and said all those appointed were chosen on merit rather than party affiliation.

Everyone is by now familiar with Nassim Taleb’s idea of low probability, high impact “black swan” events that come seemingly out of nowhere to disrupt the world as we know it. The events of the last 48 hours look like they might be Obama’s black swan, except that we can’t say “black swan” and “Obama” in the same sentence because that would be, you know. . . racist or something. So I’ll call it a “Chicago swan” instead, especially given the salience of the Chicago teachers’ strike. Wait, what’s that? I can’t say “Chicago” either? Anyway, it is interesting that...

For the first time in five years, Florida policymakers are looking at a horizon free of projected budget shortfalls, thanks to growing tax collections and cuts to spending on classrooms, road-building and the state's social safety net. The state's top economist told the Joint Legislative Budget Commission on Wednesday that lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott would have more flexibility next year when they write a new budget than at any time since 2007 -- a product of deep "recurring" cuts enacted over the years, and the slow economic recovery.

How bad have things gotten between Israel and the United States? Yesterday’s nasty exchange between the two countries in which President Obama turned down a request for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu showed that the problem has now escalated from a simmering, longstanding argument about the peace process to a full-blown feud. The White House did some damage control and reportedly the two men spoke at length last night. But anyone who thinks that will resolve their differences hasn’t been paying attention to the unhealthy dynamic that has been festering since the two both came into office in...

Jay-Z and Beyonce will host an exclusive fundraiser for President Obama next week,EW has confirmed. The New York Post first reported the news. The paper states that the $40,000-per-ticket event will take place at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club Sept. 18 and will be capped at 100 guests. It will be Obama’s last fundraising event in New York before the election.

Before yunz head dahntahn to work, or start to red up the house n‘at, join us every morning for coffee (or whatever gets yinz started) and maybe some serious discussion of the issues (or not!) Listen to the Quinn & Rose Morning Show from 6:00 to 9:00 Eastern on: www.wpgb.com (104.7 Pittsburgh, Pa) http://wysl1040.com/ (Rochester, NY) http://www.wncoam.com/main.html (Ashland, OH) http://www.talkradio560.com/ (Frostburg, MD) http://wicofm.com/ (Salisbury/Ocean City, MD WOBX - Outer banks NC http://tunein.com/radio/The-War-Room-with-Quinn--Rose-p34761/ for archived shows And now on 166 XM

Many Americans were upset when solar-panel maker Solyndra filed for bankruptcy last September owing taxpayers more than $500 million, but retiree Robert Grady Jr. was different. The more he read about the failed company, the more irritated he became. Finally, weeks after the bankruptcy case began, Mr. Grady did something he’d never done before. He filed a claim in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. It turned out to be the biggest single claim in the case — $535 million — but it wasn’t on behalf of himself. Rather, Mr. Grady, 57, made the claim on behalf of U.S. taxpayers because he said...

For over 2,500 years, Jewish communities have existed in the lands now known as the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in Iran. Around one million Jews lived there at the start of the twentieth century; today less than 3 percent of that one million still remain (including Iran). Upon the establishment of the State of Israel, the status of Jews in Arab countries changed dramatically. The Arab world’s rejection of the Jewish state triggered a deliberate surge in state-legislated discrimination and abuse by Arab regimes and their citizenry, making Jewish residence in Arab countries simply untenable. As...

Hoped it wouldn't, but always knew it would happen

.....Citing sources in Benghazi,the think tank[Quilliam] said: "(W)e have reason to believe that the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi came to avenge the death of Abu Yaya al-Libi,al-Qaida's second in command killed a few months ago." A day before the attack,the leader of al-Qaida,Ayman al-Zawahiri,urged Libyans to avenge the killing,...roughly 20 militants were present,prepared for military assault with rocket-propelled grenade launchers that do not typically appear at peaceful protests. Nonetheless,much of the blame for the protests was aimed at the poorly-made film Innocence of Muslims, directed and produced by Sam Bacile,who told the Associated Press he was an...

State Department acknowledged as recently as February it lacked funding for some security improvements The way U.S. embassies and consulates protect their staffs in volatile locations has raised several red flags in Congress, among watchdogs and even an outside commission in recent years. The concerns came into sharp focus with the death in Libya of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, as well as an attack Tuesday on the U.S. embassy in Cairo. While the State Department has responded to some of the criticisms leveled by congressional oversight bodies and its own internal...

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- New York City's controversial proposal to regulate restaurant sales of large sugary drinks is coming to a head, with the city's Board of Health scheduled to decide the measure's fate on Thursday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's self-appointed board is expected to pass the measure, effectively prohibiting city restaurants, delis, sports facilities, and street vendors (but not grocery stores or convenience stores) from selling sweetened beverages in servings exceeding 16 ounces. The mayor has framed the issue as an urgent public health effort to combat obesity, saying the goal is to help New Yorkers make better...

They said the demonstrators smashed windows of the security offices outside the embassy before breaking through the main gate of the heavily fortified compound in eastern Sanaa. Security guards opened fire and there were reports of casualties on both sides but no details were immediately available.

The prospect of a Republican Senate majority relies more than ever on a strong showing at the top of the ticket by GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.With less than eight weeks to go and both national party conventions complete, a path remains for the Republicans after several weeks of shifts in the Senate landscape. But for the GOP, it's now more akin to a game of hopscotch than a straight-line sprint to the majority. It could require a leap over Missouri - once a virtual sure thing for the GOP - to Connecticut, where the Senate race appears closer than...

If the current resident of the white house actually did his job, he would have had security briefings and notified all the appropriate embassy's to be on alert; he or his Secretary of State would have contacted the governments to protect our official locations around the world. BUT.... America is adrift in a dangerous would without a president/leader to watch over the country and DO THE JOB he was elected to do. This moron golfs, campaigns and raises money to lie to the American people and pad his retirement. He cannot be voted out soon enough.